


Wingmates

by Wyrmseeker



Category: Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-17
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:48:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 38,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28019514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wyrmseeker/pseuds/Wyrmseeker
Summary: For Heath, it was four of his closest friends. For Fiora, it was an entire wing under her command. When they meet, part of each them is glad to be flying alongside others once more. The other part is just waiting for tragedy to strike again. And neither can help but see the sorrow in the other's eyes.
Relationships: Heath/Fiora (Fire Emblem)
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally posted to FanFiction.net between April of 2013 and September of 2016. Yes, it seriously took me over three years to get this out. No, I have no idea why.

_“Hello.”_

_Heath felt the speaker sitting on the log next to him before he even had a chance to look up and see who it was. When he did, he found himself short on breath; his gaze fixated on a tall woman with light blue hair and a gentle smile. She sat next to him, keeping enough distance that he didn't feel the need to scoot away, but close enough that he knew she wasn't intimidated or shy of him at all._

_“I hope you don't mind me sitting here,” she said, brushing some of her hair out of her face. “But I noticed you had a polishing rag, and I was hoping I could borrow it once you're finished. I seem to have misplaced mine.”_

_Heath blinked uncomprehendingly at her before suddenly realizing what she meant. He looked down; in his left hand was his bloodied lance, and in his right was a freshly cleaned polishing cloth. He had been holding them both, sitting still for well over five minutes. Giving his head a quick shake to try and clear it, he set the lance down and held out the cloth. “Go ahead,” he said, trying to keep his voice neutral. “I'm finished.”_

_She raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure? Your lance is still...”_

_“I'm sure,” he said, lowering his eyes slightly. “Here, take it.”_

_The young woman hesitated, but took the cloth, offering a small smile in return. “Thanks,” she said, as she set to polishing her own lance._

_Heath examined the weapon as she cleaned it. While he felt odd sitting next to her, she was the one who had approached him, and sitting here in silence was growing more and more uncomfortable; it would probably be a good idea to try and make conversation. “That's a fine weapon,” he said. “Steel?”_

_She looked at him, eyebrows raised once again. “You have a good eye,” she replied. “Yes, it is. It's a tad bulky for my tastes, to be perfectly honest. I have to admit, I'm not the strongest person around, so an iron lance is easier to carry. Still, I'm skilled enough that I can still make this work. I just wish it was a little lighter.”_

_Heath nodded. “I can respect that.”_

_“Your own weapon seems rather heavy, though,” she said, glancing at Heath's own lance. “An axereaver, unless I miss my guess?”_

_He smiled. “You don't. I've had this particular one for a while now. It's probably well on its way to breaking, but it's served me well so far.”_

_“I heard,” she said. “From what I understand, you engaged the enemy commander, right? Eubans, his name was...”_

_The young knight lowered his eyes. “...That's right. It was a tough battle; he was far more skilled than I. But I got a lucky hit, and now he's gone.”_

_She looked over his shoulder at another weapon laying on the ground, this one a light spear. “Was that his?”_

_“Yes. He dropped it when he fell. I wanted to leave it, but Hector said it might be useful.”_

_“It's a fine weapon,” she said, nodding her assent. “Spears are rather strong, yet still light enough that you can still maneuver well with them.”_

_Heath shrugged. “A lighter weapon is nice, yeah, but you need to have a little weight if you want to do any damage.”_

_“Oh? Do you?”_

_“Do I... what?”_

_“Want to do damage.”_

_He smiled humorlessly. “I'd better, hadn't I? We're warriors, and this is a war.”_

_The girl paused a moment before shaking her head. “You're partly right. Yes, we have to do as we're told, and we must do it as well as we can. But you'll learn quickly that around here, you're not just considered a weapon, or even an arm to wield one.” She turned toward the fortress in front of which they were sitting. “Everyone here has been touched by this conflict, but not all in a bad way. This army has brought together so many people from different walks of life, and yet so many of us have become fast friends.” She smiled at her companion. “Give it time, and they'll warm up to you, too.”_

_Heath lowered his eyes. “Maybe... I suppose mercenaries need to be able to adjust to a new group easily, huh?”_

_“It's a good skill to have, yes,” the woman sighed. “I've taken so many jobs with so many different people, it's hard to remember them all.” She peered at him. “But you're no mercenary, are you?”_

_He stiffened up. “...What do you mean?”_

_“Well, it's obvious you're a knight of Bern.”_

_He blinked. “How did you...”_

_“It was pretty obvious. Your armor, your fighting style, your mannerisms...” a small smile crossed her face. “Oh, and the wyvern was a bit of a tip-off.”_

_He lowered his eyes. “I guess I can't expect that to be much of a secret.”_

_“Why would you want to keep it secret? I have nothing but respect for the knights of Bern.”_

_The mirthless smile returned to his face. “You may want to rethink that position,” he said. “Some of the things that happened there... I just couldn't stand it anymore. I left.”_

_She blinked. “You... what?”_

_“You heard me,” he said, turning away. “I left. I deserted. I ran like a coward, from the army, from Bern... from everything.”_

_She was silent, but he could feel her gazing at him even as he kept his back to her. “I see,” she said at last, her voice soft. “That's why you were sitting here alone...”_

_He shut his eyes. “You should go. You don't want to be seen with a deserter like me.”_

_There was another brief silence before he felt her hand on his shoulder. “Look at me,” she said._

_He didn't move._

_“Look at me,” she repeated, this time with a commanding tone Heath was surprised she could produce. While her voice was still gentle, he found himself compelled to obey, turning to meet her gaze. She stared straight at him, looking deep into his eyes, before shaking her head. “You're not telling me everything,” she sighed. “You didn't do what you did out of cowardice. Someone as honorable as you wouldn't just desert without a good reason.”_

_He snorted. “What makes you think I'm so honorable?”_

_“You defected,” she said. “When Eubans ordered you to attack us, and you saw we had an unconscious child with us and women among our ranks, you refused. You surrendered yourself to us, ready to lay down your arms only to be asked to take them up against the people you'd just been fighting with. And you did so without hesitation, even taking on someone far more skilled and powerful than you because he'd been willing to kill innocents. Or is that blood you're so hesitant to wipe off your lance from another enemy?”_

_Heath looked down at his lance, then back up at her, eyes wide. “You saw all that?”_

_“I'm good at spotting things,” she said. “You have to be, when you're a pegasus knight.”_

_It was his turn to lift his eyebrows. “You're a pegasus knight?”_

_“Yes,” she said. “So you and I are going to be flying together from now on. I figured it was a good idea to get to know the man who's going to be my new wingmate.”_

_He looked away, then smiled. “...Yes, I suppose it is. I'm sorry for my behavior; it's been a trying time for me.”_

_“I imagine so,” she sighed, smiling. “But I hope it gets better from now on.”_

_He returned her grin. “Thanks to you, it already has.”_

_She looked a little taken aback, and a light blush crossed her face, but she nodded nevertheless. “I'm glad to hear that,” she said. She extended her hand “I'm Fiora, by the way.”_

_“I'm Heath,” he replied, taking her hand and shaking it firmly. “It's nice to meet you, Dame Fiora.”_

_“You, too.” She released his hand and rose to go. “I'd best get going now, but I hope we can talk again sometime. Oh, and before I forget...” She held out her hand, the polishing cloth clutched within it. “Sometimes, it's a good idea to let the past go. Wipe your slate clean, so to speak.”_

_Heath hesitated a moment before taking the cloth from her. She flashed him another smile as she left. He watched her go for a few seconds before looking down at his lance again. He paused a moment before putting the cloth to the blade, and, after taking a breath, began wiping away Eubans's blood._

***

The memory of that first meeting faded with the night as the sun rose over the horizon, the choppy waves flashing light up at Heath. He let the sea breeze waft over him, accompanied by the wind from Hyperion’s gently beating wings. With the ship cruising along leisurely below him, most of the crew barely awake as they moved about in their various morning rituals, Heath cast one glance backwards at the main continent of Elibe. He couldn’t see the mainland anymore; they had long since left Badon, and been sailing most of the night, so it was no surprise that the horizon held only water.

Looking ahead, though, he could just make out the coast of Valor. Though he had not seen the Dread Isle himself, many of his new comrades in Eliwood’s army told him of the events that had occurred there shortly after he joined up. He couldn’t imagine the grief Eliwood felt at seeing his father die like that, or the rage that now pulsed through him. But he did have an idea of grief, dark memories carried over from his days as a soldier that he’d rather not revisit, yet he couldn’t stop recalling them.

But his reminiscing was interrupted as a call of “Hey, Heath!” suddenly reached his ears. Startled, he jerked up and looked around, but it was only when he glanced downward that he saw the pirate—Dart was his name—waving at him from the crow's nest. It was closer than he'd expected; apparently he and Hyperion had been losing altitude, getting closer and closer to the ship.

“You all right up there?” Dart called. “You seem a little out of it! Don't want you flying into the rigging!”

Heath smiled. “I’m not so dumb as to do something like that,” he called back. “But thanks. I guess I haven't been paying much attention. I was lost in thought.”

“Well, be careful,” Dart replied, “Or thought ain't the only thing you'll be lost in.”

The pirate began to lift himself down onto the ropes leading to the deck, but Heath started slowly descending and called to him. “Hey, Dart?”

The pirate looked up at Heath as the wyvern rider came level with the crow's nest, careful not to get too close to any of the myriad ropes hanging above the ship. “Yeah?”

“You were here earlier, right? The first time the group came to the Dread Isle?”

Dart hesitated. “Yeah, I was. I joined ‘em right before they set out to the ruins. Why?”

“I’m just wondering,” Heath replied, lowering his eyes. “The others… there seem to be a lot of memories of this place, mostly bad.”

“ _Mostly?_ ” Dart let out a laugh. “I’ve gotta tell you, Heath, that’s quite the understatement. Lessee, now… Eliwood, of course, lost his father, and Matthew, the spy? We found his love’s body while moving out for the Dragon’s Gate. Even Lyn had to kill one of her own countrymen without knowing why. And then there’s the pegasus knight…”

Heath looked up. “What’s that? Which pegasus knight?”

“The eldest,” Dart explained. “I… er… well, maybe I shouldn’t be saying this…”

“The eldest...” Heath echoed. He nodded. “You're probably right. If she wanted me to know, I'm sure she'd have told me.”

“Well, I'm not entirely sure what happened myself,” Dart admitted. “So I can't really help you either way.”

“That's fine,” Heath said. “Thanks for looking out for me, Dart. Don't worry too much about the rigging.”

“Just keep your distance,” the pirate admonished, once again starting down towards the deck.

Heath pulled back on the reigns, and Hyperion responded by rising higher into the air. It wasn't long enough before Heath found himself lost in thought once again, but this time his mind was concerned with a very different subject. He believed what he'd said; it was her choice whether or not she wanted to tell him what had happened.

But he couldn’t say he wasn’t hoping she _would_ choose to do so.

***

_“Dame Fiora!”_

_Hyperion’s mighty wings beat over the desert sands faster than any of their comrades could travel. Heath leveled his lance at the enemy archer. The man was notching another arrow to his bow when he heard the sound of approaching wings, and turned just in time to see Heath’s weapon plunging toward him._

_Hyperion collided with the ground in an explosion of sand; the grit still hung in the air as Heath leaped off the wyvern, leaving his lance buried in the archer and sprinting across the sand toward Fiora. She glanced up at him, still clutching her arm where the arrow had hit. “Heath, no! I’m fine! Get back in the battle!”_

_Heath kept running until he slid to a halt right beside her. He already had a vulnerary in his hand, and began treating her wound._

_Fiora’s face grew earnest. “Heath, please! Stop wasting time! You need to help Pent!”_

_Heath looked at her, confused. “Pent? Who…” He suddenly turned and looked out across the sand dunes, where a sage was fighting off a number of enemy units. “That man? You mean you know him?”_

_“I…” Fiora lowered her eyes. “He… he was my employer, for the mission when...” She shook her head. “I need to speak with him, Heath! Besides, we were tasked with protecting him! Go! Make sure he’s all right!”_

_The sage in question was dispatching enemies left and right quite easily on his own. He was outnumbered, but those numbers were shrinking rapidly. Heath returned to his work, shaking his head. “This ‘Pent’ fellow seems to be holding his own just fine. Hold still; this will only take a second to patch.”_

_Fiora’s mouth opened to voice another protest, but instead her words came out in a panicked scream. “Heath, look out!”_

_She shoved him out of the way just as a bolt of dark magic rose out of the ground and struck the air in front of him. He whirled around to see an enemy shaman cursing and preparing another attack. Heath’s hand immediately went to the spear at his side; he flung the shaft through the air, but the mage dodged it easily. Heath had never expected him to be that agile. But the wyvern rider was running forward again almost before he knew it, his larger and heavier lance in hand. Another spell clipped him, and he nearly fell, but he managed to make it far enough to thrust forward, ending the threat of the shaman, before collapsing to the ground._

_The next thing he saw was Fiora rolling him over, her face wearing a mix of concern and anger. “I told you to go help Pent!” She picked up the vulnerary he had been using, still mostly full despite treating her wound, and began dressing his own._

_Heath shook his head as he tried to blink his eyes into focus against the bright sun. “If he didn’t come after me, he would have come after you…”_

_“I could have handled it,” Fiora fumed. “Pegasus knights do better against magic than wyvern riders. You know that. It was foolish to come after me like that!” She looked around. “At least it looks like we’re out of danger, for now. But we need to get to Pent.” She pulled him up and started toward her pegasus._

_As he looked after her, he felt his cheeks turn red. “I’m sorry,” he muttered._

_She looked back at him, her eyes still showing anger, although not as much. “You can’t just risk yourself and the mission like that, Heath,” she said sternly. “You’ve been a knight long enough to know what can happen when you disobey orders.” She gazed at him for a moment before mounting up and flying away._

_He pulled himself up as he watched her leave. “Yes,” he said softly. “Yes, I have.”_

_He staggered toward Hyperion, hoping to rejoin the battle quickly. He shook his head and chastised himself silently. Fiora was right; he’d made a mistake, risking his own life to help her. But he couldn’t help it, and if it happened again, he wasn’t sure he’d do anything differently. After what happened before, he was determined to protect his comrades—no matter the cost._

_***_

Fiora didn’t like being cooped up indoors. She was, after all, a pegasus knight; her home was the sky, and to be separated from it for too long made her feel ill. Although, to be honest, most of her current illness was due to the constant rocking of the boat. The perpetual back-and-forth motion, combined with the inescapable saline-smelling air, was doing her stomach no favors. Still, it could have been worse. At least she could still stand. If she wanted to, that is.

A knocking sound drew her attention to where Farina was standing. “Can I come in?” the blue-haired knight asked.

Fiora managed a smirk. “Very funny.” The deck was one large open area; it wasn't a door Farina was knocking on, but a post near the bench that Fiora had sat herself down on hours before. “Sure, why not? Make sure to close the door behind you.”

Farina walked over, sitting on the bench next to her sister. “Are you ok? You're looking pretty green.”

“I'm fine,” the older sister replied. “It's just the poor light in here making me look that way.”

In response, Farina took a lantern from a nearby post and held it up to her sister's face. “Hm... nope, you're green.”

“Oh, hush,” Fiora said, smirking, as she pushed the lantern away.

Farina replaced it on the post before giving her sister a worried look. “Maybe you should go above decks?”

“Yes, because the only thing better than feeling the ocean moving is _seeing_ the ocean moving.”

Farina rolled her eyes. “No, really. I've heard it helps. Look, if you want to get off the boat, why don't you just go for a flight? I'm sure your pegasus would appreciate the exercise. After all, he's been cooped up just as long as you have.”

Fiora shook her head. “No thanks, I'm fine.”

“Fiora, I really think it would help.”

“I'm fine!” she said emphatically, a little too much so, she realized. Farina drew away; Fiora looked up at her and did her best to smile. “Sorry. I just... I don't really feel like going out for a flight right now.”

“Why not?” Farina asked. “It'd make you feel better.”

Fiora hesitated a moment. “...We're almost to Valor, right?”

“Yeah, I think so. I overheard Fargus telling Hector that we should be there within an hour.”

“I'll stay down here, thanks.”

Farina was silent for a moment, then she let out a sigh and shook her head. “Well, if you say so.” She rose to go before looking down at her sister one more time. “Hey, sis?”

“Yeah?”

The younger knight hesitated before speaking. “You... you know that you can talk to us, right? Florina and I, I mean. We're here for you.” She paused. “...You're not alone.”

Fiora smiled. “Sometimes I feel like I am. But I know I shouldn't. You two have done a lot for me these past few months. Reconnecting with Florina, reconciling with you... I'm happy we were finally able to come together as a family again, after all this time.”

Farina studied her sister. “But that's not what's bothering you, is it?”

“No,” she admitted. “It's not.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

A moment's pause. “...Did Florina tell you? About what happened here before?”

“She... may have mentioned it, yes.”

“Then I hope you can understand why I actually don't want to talk about it. Not now, at least.”

Farina nodded after a brief hesitation. “I do. But remember, you can talk to us.”

Fiora smiled. “Of course.”

As Farina started up the steps to the upper deck, Fiora called out to her one last time “Hey, Farina?”

“Yeah, sis?”

“Have you... have you seen Heath lately?”

“Actually, he's got his wyvern out for a flight right now. Almost flew into the rigging before Dart yelled at him. I guess he's got a lot on his mind, too.” She looked at her sister for a moment. “You want me to tell him anything?”

“No,” Fiora said quickly, “That's all right. I was just asking.”

Farina smirked a little, but not so little that Fiora didn't see it. The older pegasus knight felt herself blushing as her sister continued up the steps.

A few minutes later, Fiora rose herself. She'd been able to deal with the seasickness so far, but it seemed to have become downright unbearable in the last few minutes. Besides, she did want to see the sky again—even if it was the sky above the Dread Isle.

Perhaps she'd take that flight after all.

***

_Bern._

_So simple a word—only four letters, one syllable. Yet the meanings it held for Heath defied description. It had been his home for his entire life, his home that he'd served it proudly as a soldier when he was old enough. And then, one day… it wasn't. In the space of a few minutes, they had made a decision that had irrevocably changed all their lives._

_His life, anyway. The others…_

" _You know," Sain called, interrupting his thoughts, "If those flowers are meant for a woman, I think you may have more luck with something a little… fuller."_

_Heath glanced over at the Caelin knight. He hadn't even noticed Sain standing there as he'd walked past on his way to Hyperion. Looking down at the flowers clutched in his hand, the wyvern rider had to smirk. They were a bit… scraggly, to be sure. But in the rocky terrain of Bern's mountains, they were the best he could do. He should know, after all; he'd flown over these mountains more times than he could count._

" _They're not for a woman," he replied. "They're for… some friends."_

" _I see," Sain said, sidling up closer to the knight and looking entirely unconvinced. "Tell me, Heath… these friends wouldn't happen to be named Fiora, would they?"_

_The humor vanished from Heath's smile. "No. They… their names are—were—entirely different."_

_Sain wore a look of confusion briefly, before it gave way to one of understanding. "Oh… I-I apologize, I had no idea…"_

" _It's all right," Heath sighed. "It's only about a mile away from here. I'll be back soon."_

_The horseman nodded. "Take care, then."_

_Heath didn't bother prolonging the conversation any further as he mounted Hyperion and the two of them took to the air. He did smile to himself, though. Sain could be a bit… meddlesome, but his intentions were good enough. Heath had found both him and Kent to be valuable allies and good friends in the short time he'd been with the group. It was good to have comrades again._

_Although nothing would compare to flying alongside them… but that couldn't be helped._

_Before he knew it, they'd arrived. Hyperion seemed to know the spot well, even though they'd only been there once. Heath wondered if it still bore the scent of the three other wyverns; Hyperion had known all of them well, especially Theia. He found himself wondering what had become of them. He'd heard tales about beasts that would stay at their master's graves, loyal even in death, until they, too, passed on._

_It was a discomforting thought. He pushed it aside; he'd have more than enough of those in the next few minutes._

_The three makeshift grave markers were right where he had left them when he'd buried Isaac, Lachius, and—he found a lump forming in his throat as he thought the name—Belminade. Apparently, nobody had found them in the intervening months—or, if they had, they'd left the graves alone. The riders' names were nowhere to be seen, but their helms were there, each carrying the symbol of their group: a curled wyvern's tale, wreathed in flame and ready to strike. He held three of the small mountain flowers in his hand, that being all he could find, and so he left only one at each grave, one for each of his fallen comrades. The flowers looked stark and pathetic, their scraggly nature only amplified by the bleakness of the scene… and yet, in spite of that, Heath was glad they were there. Even that little bit of color, that little splash of life, seemed to help. At the very least, it was helping him._

" _Heath…"_

_He spun around, surprised, to find Fiora watching him from a short distance away. Her hands were clasped together and her head was bowed, her eyes peering up at him from under her light blue bangs. He was shocked that he hadn't heard her approach; looking around, he couldn't see her pegasus, and realized she must have come on foot to minimize the noise she made. More shocking, though, was the expression on her face. If he'd known she was there, he may have expected pity from her, or maybe guilt for what she had said earlier. But he didn't expect her face to be contorted with sadness, looking like she were about to cry, as if those graves didn't hold his comrades, but her own._

" _Fiora?" He moved to block her view of the grave markers, then stopped, realizing it was pointless to try and hide all three. "What are you doing here?"_

" _I… Sain told me I should check on you, and…" She trailed off, her eyes fixed on the markers. "Heath, what happened here?"_

_Heath didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say, to be honest. It was clear enough what the three markers were, and the emblems on the helmets were exactly the same as the one on his. It wasn't much of an intuitive leap for Fiora to figure out what this place was. What she couldn't figure out, he didn't exactly want to tell her just yet._

" _I'm sorry," she said. "I can understand why you wouldn't want to talk about it."_

_He nodded. "I appreciate that. Thanks."_

_Fiora lowered her eyes, letting silence hang in the air for a long time before speaking again. "…I guess this is why you were so worried about me the other day?"_

_He paused for a moment. "…Maybe."_

" _I'm sorry, Heath," she said. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. I guess we just haven't really had a chance lately…"_

_He smiled, only partially forcing it. "Meeting a millennia-old sage and being teleported halfway across the continent does kind of take precedence."_

_She smiled as well, but quickly suppressed it._

" _I wasn't about to abandon you when you were injured,” he said, trying to draw attention away from his fallen wingmates. “But I let myself get too distracted, and I wound up getting hurt myself because of it. I'm sorry I overreacted."_

" _I did, too," Fiora sighed. "I'm sorry, Heath. At the time, I just... when I realized Pent was there, I knew I needed to talk to him. I let my emotions take control of me, and when you tried to help me, I spoke too harshly."_

_Heath blinked. "Does... does Pent really mean that much to you?"_

_Fiora shook her head. "I don't know him very well, to be honest. But as I said, he's the one who hired me for the last mission, and..." She bit her lip. "I..."_

_Heath took a step towards her. This was the second time she'd mentioned that mission... and been unable to go on. He opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it and closed it again. He'd wanted to prompt her to tell him more, but he knew he couldn't reasonably expect her to do so when he wouldn't tell her about the three graves mere inches away._

" _I'm sorry," he said._

" _Me too." She was holding back tears, he noticed._

_Heath wanted to say something more, but again, didn't know what. Eventually, he cleared his throat. "We should probably go back to camp," he said. "Don't want to worry the others."_

_She nodded her assent after a moment's pause. "You go ahead," she said. "I left my pegasus over that ridge. I'll have to walk over and get him before I return."_

" _OK," Heath said. He turned towards Hyperion and started to mount up, then stopped. He looked over his shoulder at Fiora. "Actually... I think I'd rather walk with you."_

_She looked up at him, surprised. "What? You... you would?"_

_He paused for a moment. "...Yeah, I would. As long as you don't mind, that is," he added quickly._

_She, too, hesitated before speaking. "Actually... I'd like that. Thank you, Heath."_

_Despite the somber mood, he couldn't help but smile. "No, thank you. Come on, Hyperion."_

_A snort from the wyvern._

" _Oh, be quiet," Heath sighed. "You need to work on your leg strength anyway."_

_Another snort._


	2. Chapter 2

_The endless sky opened before Fiora, and yet somehow, it was not enough._

_She urged her pegasus forward, starting out with a leisurely glide. Soon enough, the two of them dipped and pulled into a dive, quickly pulling up and performing a loop in the sky. Not wanting to lose momentum, Fiora pulled to one side, and they banked into a hard turn. The wind whipping through Fiora’s hair felt good, but she wanted more, and urged her pegasus onward, faster and faster. From the ground, they appeared as a white streak across the sky. Noticing her pegasus was starting to tire, she pulled into another dive, this one much steeper. They plummeted through the air, building up more and more momentum, until at last she leveled off, still hundreds of feet of the ground. With all the speed they’d built up, her pegasus was able to blaze ahead with little effort, covering several miles of sky in mere minutes._

_And yet somehow, it was not enough._

_Letting out a sigh, she banked to the side again, gently this time. The turn was wide and slow, and yet it was not until she had completed it that she spotted the dark shape in her path. She slowed down as the shape grew rapidly near, until it resolved into the recognizable form of Heath and his wyvern. The two flying bodies came to rest, hovering a few feet from each other._

_“Is everything all right?” Fiora called, wondering why he had come out all this way to find her._

_“I could ask you the same thing,” Heath replied._

_Fiora sighed, although the sound was lost in the beating of their mounts’ wings. While Heath’s concern was understandable, maybe even a little touching, she wasn’t feeling up to dealing with it right now. “Yes,” she said simply._

_He nodded, clearly able to tell that she was lying. “Would you like me to leave you alone?”_

_“I…” she paused. She wanted to say ‘yes,’ but then again, she’d been alone all this time, and what had it gained her? “No, actually. I think… it’d be nice to talk for a while. If you don’t mind.”_

_Heath smiled that sweet, understanding smile of his. “Talking to you is always a pleasure. But why don’t we land first? These guys are bound to get tired sooner or later.”_

_Fiora nodded, pulled away from him, and began her descent. Heath followed soon after, the shadow of his far bulkier mount occasionally sweeping over Fiora and her pegasus. Though the group was camped out in a marshy area, the two of them had flown far enough away that the ground beneath was more forested. They managed to find a clearing large enough for both of them to set down in, and they hitched their mounts to one of the trees before heading off to find a place to sit. Looking over her shoulder, Fiora was surprised, and more than a little heartened, to see Hyperion being nuzzled affectionately by her pegasus. The sight put a smile on her face as she and Heath sat down under a tree some distance away._

_“So,” Fiora said, not sure how to begin._

_“So,” Heath echoed, not having much luck coming up with words himself. It was clear from his tone that he wanted to talk to her, but was unsure of what to say._

_“It can be hard sometimes,” Fiora said after a long pause, “to tell someone that you love them.”_

_Heath was caught off-guard by her statement. “I… beg your pardon?”_

_Fiora shrugged. “Well, when you realize how important someone has become to you, it can be hard to tell them that. After all, if you upset them, and they pull away from you, you’ve lost that connection.”_

_“I… suppose that’s true.”_

_“But isn’t it just as bad the other way? If you don’t tell someone their feelings, how can they know?”_

_“They might be able to figure it out just from watching you,” Heath replied, finally able to contribute something to the conversation. “Love isn’t the easiest thing to hide.”_

_“I think that’s part of the problem, actually,” Fiora sighed. “We try_ too _hard to hide it, and succeed, so that the other person never realizes how we feel.” She lifted her arms in the air. “And then we get mad at them for not realizing it, because surely they could intuit it from the way we act around them! How could they not get the signals we’re trying so hard not to send?”_

_Heath opened his mouth to say something, shut it, and shrugged._

_Fiora shook her head, lowering her arms. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be taking this out on you. I guess I’m a little tense.”_

_“I guess so,” Heath agreed. “But you have every right to be.”_

_“I wasn’t expecting to have to deal with this. I’m not sure if I can handle it.”_

_Heath looked at her for a moment, then shifted uncomfortably. “I… I loved someone when I was a knight, and I didn’t tell her until it was too late for us to be together. If I’d done it sooner… maybe things wouldn’t have turned out as bad.”_

_“Or maybe you’d have just been hurt.”_

_“Maybe. But I could live with being hurt. Not knowing… that’s hard to take. Hard to forget.”_

_There was a brief silence before Fiora nodded. “I suppose you’re right.” She sighed. “Still, this isn’t the same as that.”_

_“No,” Heath agreed quickly. “Not at all. That was… a completely different kind of love.”_

_Fiora said nothing, simply gazing into the distance._

_“But,” Heath went on cautiously, “I think my point still stands. You may be worried about what’ll happen if you meet this head on, but if you don’t meet it at all, I think you’ll regret it.”_

_Still, Fiora was silent. Heath said nothing as well, letting the silence hang between them as they thought._

_Finally, the pegasus knight let out a sigh. “You’re right. Of course you’re right. I knew that before I even brought it up.” She shifted around to look at him. “But it does me good to hear someone else say it for a change. Thank you, Heath.”_

_He didn’t meet her gaze; he simply nodded. “Glad I could help.”_

_Silence returned to the clearing once more before Heath spoke up again, hesitantly. “Fiora?”_

_“Yes?”_

_“Have you… have you ever been in love?”_

_She glanced at him. “That’s an odd question.”_

_“Sorry,” he mumbled quickly. “I was just-”_

_“No,” she said suddenly, surprising him into silence. “No, I don’t think I have. I don’t think I’ve ever had the opportunity to.”_

_Heath nodded. “I see.”_

_“What about you?” She paused before continuing. “You mentioned a girl you knew as a knight. Were you and she… in love?”_

_Heath blushed, but he still opened his mouth to speak. Fiora knew he wouldn’t have asked such a question without expecting her to ask him in turn. Nevertheless, before he could answer, they were both distracted as the sound of flapping wings reached their ears. They stood in unison, looking back in the direction of the camp, and saw a pegasus moving through the sky above them. It flew in a straight line for a while, then curved around and began to descend._

_“She must have seen our mounts,” Heath said._

_Fiora nodded._

_“You ready?”_

_She sighed. “As I’ll ever be.”_

_“You were talking about her, right? When you said it’s hard to tell someone that you love them?”_

_“Of course.”_

_She didn’t bother asking who else she might be talking about. In any event, she saw Heath relaxing out of the corner of her eye, and relaxed a little herself._

_Soon, the second pegasus had landed in the clearing, its rider dismounting and walking towards them nervously. “Hey. Um… I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”_

_Fiora shook her head. “It’s all right, sister. We were just talking.”_

_“I see. Um…” she looked over her shoulder. “We couldn’t find you back at the camp, and the others were getting concerned…. So, I…”_

_“You volunteered to come look for us.” Fiora smiled. “That’s… that’s very kind of you, Farina.”_

_The blue-haired pegasus knight blushed. “Hey, I wasn’t the only one! Florina went out in the other direction. She’s worried about you, you know.”_

_“I know. But I think she can wait a little longer.” Fiora took a breath, then turned to the man at her side. “Heath, will you go ahead and let the others know we’re all right? I… I want to talk to Farina for a moment.”_

_Fiora’s sister looked as nervous as she did at the idea of ‘talking’ to each other, but Heath nodded. “I’ll see you two back there.” He started towards his wyvern._

_Fiora hesitated briefly before calling out, “Heath?”_

_He turned. “Yeah?”_

_“…Thanks again for helping me out.”_

_Again, he just nodded before continuing towards Hyperion._

_Farina raised her eyebrows. “Helping you out?”_

_Fiora chuckled a little. “Come on. We’re just friends.”_

_“Maybe for now,” Farina said, cocking her hips to one side. “But I’ve seen how he looks at you. I know that look.”_

_Fiora blushed. “Look, that’s… that’s not important right now. I… I do want to talk to you.” She took a breath. Heath had been right; she needed to do this now, rather than regret not doing it later._

_Heath looked back over his shoulder as he took off. Most of their conversation was lost in the flapping of Hyperion’s wings, but the bits he did get put a smile on his face. He lifted up on the reins, and a mighty flap of the wyvern’s wings sent them hurtling through the sky before he had a chance to see the two sisters hug for the first time in years._

***

Hyperion's claws touched down gently on the ship's deck. The wyvern had reduced his speed to match that of the ship, still moving fast enough to stay aloft but slow enough for a smooth landing. Heath jumped down and was starting to lead his mount belowdecks when he saw a certain blue-haired pegasus knight coming his way. Farina obviously wasn’t paying attention to where she was going; she seemed to be lost in thought (which never a good sign for the group’s finances), so Heath stepped to the side. She walked straight past both of them without even looking up. Heath gave Hyperion a bemused glance. The wyvern just snorted indignantly.

Farina jumped at the sound, spinning around to face the two. “Heath! Where did you come from?!”

“Right here,” he said, motioning at the deck. “You walked straight past me.”

“I did not!” she said indignantly; then, after a moment, she slumped. “I did, didn’t I? Ugh… sorry, Heath, I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“It’s fine,” he replied, smiling sadly. “We all do.”

“Yeah.” She shivered slightly in the ocean air. “So, a flight, huh? That might be a good idea.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” he said, motioning to the stairs she’d just come up.

She shook her head. “Maybe later. I’ve got other things to do right now.”

“I see. Well, take care.”

She nodded at him as they each turned and walked in opposite directions. Heath once again started to lead Hyperion belowdecks, but he glanced over his shoulder to see Farina standing there, glancing up towards the foggy skies. Heath paused a moment, wondering if he should get involved, then decided he might as well speak. “What are you looking for?” he asked.

“Hm?” Farina turned, surprised to see him still there. “Oh, I was just wondering if Florina might be up there. I couldn’t find her anywhere on the ship.”

“Really?” Heath said, arching an eyebrow. “Well, I didn’t see her when I was up there.”

“I figured as much,” Farina said, cocking her head at him. “But why do you sound so surprised?”

“Oh, well…” he felt himself reddening a little. “I just ran into Dart up there a little while ago, and I thought maybe…”

“You thought I was looking for him?”

“You two have been spending a lot of time together,” Heath said, trying not to sound too defensive.

“Yeah,” she sighed, crossing her arms. “It’s that silly map of his. He’s got me thinking it can lead to treasure, and now we’re both trying to get to it first.”

“Oh,” the wyvern rider said. “That’s why you’re always following him around, huh?”

She frowned at him. “You know, Heath, just because a man and a woman spend time together doesn’t mean there’s anything between them.”

“I know that, I just—”

“I’m not interested in Dart, and as near as I can tell, he’s not interested in me. I’m not even sure I’d call us friends. We’re just treasure-hunting partners. Rivals. …Whatever.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“No, you didn’t—” she sighed. “Sorry. Dart’s not a bad guy or anything. But you’re reading too far into things.”

“I already said I was sorry,” Heath muttered.

“I guess I shouldn’t judge,” she said, turning away. “When I saw you with Fiora, I…”

Heath remained silent.

“Aw, nuts,” she sighed, shaking her head. “I’d better shut up before we both make fools of ourselves.”

Heath did not disagree. “Have you considered checking the hold?” he asked. “If Florina’s pegasus isn’t there, she’s probably out for a flight herself. With this fog, we could have flown right past each other and not known it.”

“Good idea,” she said, smiling gratefully at him. “She might be down there herself, anyway. She loves pampering Huey; she spoils the poor thing, if you ask me.”

“ _She_ spoils her pegasus?” Heath said bemusedly. “Don’t I recall overhearing you telling Hector that the ‘noble carrots’ you feed your mount don’t come cheap?”

“They don’t! And by the way, what I tell Hector is none of your business!”

Heath couldn’t tell whether she was playing, or was genuinely upset by his remark. Either way, though, he couldn’t help but notice that she seemed to be far more flustered by the mention of Hector than she had been by that of Dart.

“Don’t you go reading into that at all, either,” she warned; his thoughts must have been apparent on his face.

“I’m not,” he said, holding up his arms. “It’s like you said; if I think you’re with Hector, you might as well think I’m with Fiora.”

She hesitated, then nodded. “And don’t you forget it, either!” she added.

Smiling, Heath stood aside, motioning down the stairs. Farina took his signal and walked forward, heading down into the hold. After a few steps, she stopped and looked back up at him. “Hey, Heath… as long as I’m headed down there, why don’t I stable your wyvern for you?”

He looked at her quizzically. “You’re not going to charge me for it, are you?”

“Of course not!” Then, with an impish grin, she added, “Of course, if you feel like tipping, who am I to stop you?”

Heath couldn’t help but laugh as he handed the reins over to her. “I do appreciate it,” he said. “I was looking forward to spending a little more time on deck while I can. And we’ll discuss your payment later, all right?”

“Glad to hear it,” she said, leading the wyvern away.

Heath started back up the stairs when he heard her voice once more. It was lowered, and he realized he probably wasn’t intended to hear it; still, he couldn’t help himself as his ears focused on her words.

“You know, Hyp,” she was sighing, “it’s a shame, really. The two of them would make a good couple, if you ask me.”

Heath blinked in surprise as he realized who she was talking about. And, as much as he would like to, he couldn’t bring himself to agree with her this time.

***

_“Here you go.”_

_The gentle voice had barely reached his ears when he felt the blanket fall across his shoulders. He looked up to find the seemingly ever-present form of Fiora, wearing her gentle smile. Part of him wanted to shrug off the blanket, not wanting to seem weak in the face of the cold, but it was superseded by the part of him that had already drawn it tight around him. His shaking lessened slightly and he managed to slip a “Thank you” between his chattering teeth._

_She sat down next to him. “You’ll be all right,” she said. “If you were going to die you’d be a lot worse off than this. And now that we’ve captured this fortress, we’ll do something about warming it up.”_

_Heath nodded. “I’m s-s-sure all the holes w-w-w punched in the walls will h-h-help a lot with t-t-that.”_

_She laughed. “See? You’ve still got your sense of humor. I told you you’d be all right.”_

_“Y-y-yeah.” He glanced at her, noticing she wasn’t having nearly as much trouble with the cold as he did. “H-h-hey, how come you’re n-n-not shivering?”_

_“I’m from Ilia,” she sighed. “We’re used to the cold, and we know how to handle it.”_

_“You m-m-mean you have s-s-some kind of b-b-built in r-r-resistance?”_

_“No, I mean I have the presence of mind to bring along a winter coat when we travel into mountains.” She motioned to the coat he just now noticed was adorning her shoulders with a bit of a smirk._

_Heath laughed. “Oh. Oops.”_

_She studied him for a moment longer, and pursed her lips. “Heath?”_

_“Yeah?” He was beginning to warm up, finally able to bring the chattering under control._

_“Are… are you angry with me?”_

_Fiora had been catching Heath off-guard since the instant they met, but from the look on his face, she could tell that this was really surprising. “What? Why on earth w-would I be mad at you?”_

_She looked away. “When you saw her in the mountains the other day, the look on your face… I just knew you would go after her. And I knew I had to stop you.”_

_A look of understanding crossed Heath’s face, and he nodded. “I k-know. I h-had a lot of q-q-questions for her…”_

_“But she was working with the enemy, Heath,” Fiora said, her soft voice filled with worry._

_“That would h-h-have been the f-f-first question.”_

_Fiora smiled, but went on. “And that look on her face… She wasn’t moving from her spot on the mountain, but if you had gotten within her reach…” She shut her eyes. “I’m sorry, Heath. I know I came between you and your mentor, but I…”_

_She trailed off. She could tell he was reflecting on the events of that battle, remembering how he saw Vaida atop a mountain with a few other wyvern riders, able to recognize her and Umbriel even from a distance, the presence of such a familiar form only adding to the confusion of the battlefield. He started for her immediately, only to find Fiora standing resolute in front of him, her hands on his shoulders. He had struggled, he had yelled at her, but she held firm. She told him Vaida was with the enemy, that the augury had warned them she held greater power than she should, and that he couldn’t get close without risking his life. He had spat back at her, tried unsuccessfully to refute her claims, but in the end, he relented, and cast one last forlorn look back at Vaida before flying into battle with Fiora._

_Presently, he favored her with that disarming smile of his. “I’m not angry, Fiora. At least… not at you. You were right. I didn’t want to see that at the time, but you were only looking out for me.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I just… I just wish we knew what she was doing out there. Why was she flying with the Black Fang? Why was she fighting us? Why…” He trailed off._

_Fiora edged closer to him. “I’m sorry, Heath… I wish I knew what to say.” She hesitated a moment before going on. “Vaida… must mean a great deal to you…”_

_“She does.” A smile crossed his face as he reminisced. “She was the one who found us and brought us together. She shaped us into some of the greatest riders Bern’s ever seen.” His eyes shut involuntarily. “And she stayed behind to ensure we got out…”_

_“We?” Fiora asked._

_“Vaida’s Raiders,” he explained. “Our flight.”_

_She raised an eyebrow. “Really?”_

_“Yeah.” He paused. “I guess it sounds a little strange, but back then we were truly a force to be reckoned with. If only…” He trailed off, finding that his gaze had wandered into the distance. He shook his head. “But that was another time. It’s not important now. I’m sorry for boring you like this.”_

_“It’s OK,” she said softly. She lifted her hand in the air, hesitated briefly, then placed it on his shoulder. “You’ll see her again someday, Heath. I promise, you’ll be back together eventually.”_

_She was pleased to see a smile creep across his face. “Thanks. I… wait.” He glanced up at her, a sudden look of surprise filling his eyes. “What do you mean, ‘together?’ You don’t think that Vaida and I were…?”_

_“What? Er… well…” She looked away, her face reddening. “…were you?”_

_“No! I-I mean… Vaida? I…” He shook his head vigorously “No!”_

_“Oh!” She blushed even more deeply. “Well, of course, I didn’t mean that… to imply that…”_

_“It’s OK,” he said quickly, putting his hand on hers in a feeble attempt to be reassuring. “It’s just…”_

_“I misunderstood you,” she said, offering what she hoped was a convincing smile._

_“Right,” he said, returning her grin._

_“Sorry,” she said, trying not to blush. “The way you spoke about her, just made me wonder…”_

_He shook his head. “She was a very important person to me, but not like that.”_

_“Right, of course,” Fiora said. “I see.” She was still blushing._

_“You don’t need to be embarrassed,” he said._

_“I’m not.”_

_Heath didn’t believe her, but decided not to press the issue._

_“Even so,” she said, “I do hope you get your answers.”_

_Heath nodded. “It would be good to fly alongside her again.”_

_Fiora studied him for a moment. “Well, for now I’m afraid you’ll have to settle for me,” she said at last._

_Heath let out a chuckle. “Dame Fiora, the way you fly, I think Vaida might even be a little jealous.”_

_The pegasus knight seemed a bit surprised, but smiled. “Perhaps,” she said. “I guess we’ll find out eventually.”_

***

Fiora entered the cargo hold that had been converted into a makeshift stable for the group’s horses, wyverns, and pegasi. The sight that greeted her made her hesitate, but she took a breath and stepped in anyway. The woman who was there already glanced over her, sneering when she saw the Pegasus knight coming—or maybe she had been sneering already. With her, it was hard to tell.

“Oh, it’s you,” she said, turning away from Fiora. “Taking your mangy beast out for a flight?”

“Yes, Dame Vaida,” Fiora replied. The blonde wyvern rider had only been with them a short time, but Fiora had already learned that trying to respond to her bitterness was pointless. She just wanted to saddle up and get out of here.

“Hmph. Try not to fall.”

Fiora nodded. She’d already crossed over to her pegasus and was starting to secure the saddle on its back.

“Pegasi,” Vaida snorted. “Such fragile creatures. Pitiful excuses for flying mounts. Of course, you’re no master rider yourself. The way you fly, I’m surprised you’ve lasted this long in the army.”

The saddle was finally fastened. Fiora headed toward the exit with her pegasus, trying not to move too quickly. She was normally a calm, level-headed individual, but Vaida was already beginning to wear at her nerves, and she didn’t want the woman to know how anxious she was to put some distance between them.

“Fiora,” Vaida called as she was about to exit the hold.

Taking another breath, Fiora turned. “Yes?”

To her surprise, the wyvern rider’s smile had less malevolence in it than usual. “I’m not going to get a rise out of you like that, am I?”

Fiora blinked. “W-what?”

Vaida walked towards her; Fiora resisted the urge to step back. “You have to understand, Fiora, this is just the way I deal with people. I don’t hate you.” She paused. “…Well, I don’t hate you any more than I hate anyone else, anyway.”

 _Where is she going with this?_ Fiora wondered as she nodded slowly. “I… see…?”

“But I want to talk to you. I’ve been meaning to for some time now, actually.”

“About what?” Fiora asked, doing her best to mask her confusion.

“Heath, of course.”

Fiora suddenly felt her heartbeat accelerate. “What do you mean?”

“Don't play dumb, girl. You’ve been spending a lot of time with him lately, and from what I’ve heard, it’s been that way even before I joined up. You were the first one to befriend him after he defected, you work with him almost as much as you do with your own sisters, and he seems to open up more to you than he does to… to his own mentor.” Her voice seemed to crack a little on the last statement.

Fiora found herself inching away from the older woman. The stairs were still to her back; she could run if she had to. She didn’t know why she was considering running, of course, as Vaida hadn’t given the pegasus knight any reason to fear her just yet. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that this conversation was going to a place neither of them would like.

“I’ve known Heath for years,” Vaida went on. “And I’ve never seen him behave the way he does when he’s around you.”

“Heath’s changed,” Fiora countered. “He told me himself that he’s grown bitter since he left the Bern army.”

“And yet he seems happier than ever now.”

Fiora blinked. “W-What?”

“I can imagine that turning his back on the only home he’s ever known tore Heath up inside. He was always smiling when I saw him, even when I drove him into the ground with training—always an optimist. Then, after what happened… Well. Suffice it to say, I didn’t think I’d see him smiling again anytime soon.” She turned her head. “But every time you’re around… It’s like nothing ever happened, like he’s right where he’s supposed to be instead of a deserter struggling to find his place. In fact, I’d say he’s more at home with you than he ever was with me—us.”

Fiora swallowed more loudly than she’d have liked. “You read too much into our relationship.”

Vaida laughed harshly. “Don’t insult me, girl. Anyone with eyes can see the nature of your ‘relationship.’ You two are fond of each other, even if you’re both too stubborn and cowardly to do anything about it.”

The color rose in Fiora’s cheeks. “That’s not why we…”

Vaida arched an eyebrow. “Not why you… what?”

Fiora fell silent, averting her gaze.

Vaida let out an exasperated sigh. “Very well. If that isn’t the reason, then what is?”

“Nothing.” She took a breath. “There is no reason. And there’s nothing between us, save friendship.”

“I told you not to insult me, girl,” Vaida said again, more darkly this time. “If you’re going to keep leading Heath on like this, I suggest you move on yourself. He deserves a woman who’s going to treat him right.”

Fiora’s cheeks grew hot again, but she noticed something in Vaida’s tone, something in the way she turned away when she spoke of their ‘relationship’ and the kind of woman Heath deserved, that made her pause. She peered closely at Vaida. “You… you love him, don’t you?”

Vaida’s head snapped up. “What did you say?!”

“You love him. That’s what this is about. You’re not just concerned for him, you’re jealous.”

The wyvern knight’s eyes were wide and ablaze, and her hand tightened around the grip of her sword. “You…” After a few tense moments, though, she laughed. “You’ve got some cheek, don’t you, girl?”

Fiora stood her ground. “That wasn’t a denial.”

“No. No, it wasn’t.” Vaida sighed, turning away.

Fiora remained silent.

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t this bitter,” Vaida went on, a forlorn look in her eyes. It’s just the way I’ve lived my life. And when he came into it… I didn’t know what to do with him. No matter how I treated him, how much I insulted him, how hard I drove him, he kept coming back for more… and always with a smile. I couldn’t break him, and, over time, I didn’t want to any more. I suppose I grew fond of him, and eventually… well, ‘love’ is a bit too strong a word, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t partially true.”

If it was anyone else, Fiora would have stepped forward and tried to comfort the woman in front of her. With Vaida, however, that was more likely to make things worse than better.

“After the desertion, it seemed unlikely that he and I would ever meet again. But even if I did see him, I was convinced I’d never see his smile again. I tried to make myself not care about him, to convince myself he was just another worthless piece of wyvern feed. And then I did see him, fighting alongside with Eliwood’s lot as I tried to take the dragon children from them… and I simply didn’t know what to do. To fight him… well, it would have broken my heart, to be honest.” She looked over at the pegasus knight. “I suppose it was you that held him back?”

Fiora nodded, unsure of what else she could do.

“Good call. If he’d confronted me then, I’d have done my damnedest to kill him, if only so he’d never think of me as a friend again.”

Fiora recalled the augury, how the fortune-teller had told them that Vaida had been far too powerful for them to take at the time. If she’d doubted her decision to hold Heath back before, she certainly didn’t after hearing that.

“But when I joined you, and saw him again…” She put a hand up to her face, trying not to make it too obvious that she was wiping away a tear. “There was that smile again. Someone had given it back to him, and it didn’t take long to figure out that that someone was you.” She looked up at Fiora. “You say I’m jealous…? I suppose, a little. He does have a way of making my heart melt when I least want it to. But he was never meant for me. I’d realized that while we were still in the service of Bern. And while I’d never admit it to him, I’m just glad to see him happy.”

Fiora nodded. She’d never expected Vaida of all people to say something like that, but she felt like she understood the wyvern rider a little better now.

Vaida’s face resumed its dark expression, and her voice took on an equally dark tone as she stepped towards the pegasus knight. “Which is why, if you two can’t get your heads out of the sand long enough to admit that you love each other and stop leading each other on like this, there will be hell to pay.”

There was no humor in the threat, nor was there any danger of Fiora taking it lightly. Still, she shook her head. “It’s not that simple.”

“I’ve found that people often say that when it’s simpler than they’d like to think.”

“You think I don’t want to make Heath happy? You think I don’t want to be happy myself? If telling him was all it would take to accomplish that, I’d do it in an instant. But there’s more to it than that. I…” She swallowed. “I just can’t let myself love him.”

Vaida scowled at her for a moment, then shook her head and turned away. “Whatever’s holding you back, you’d better deal with it sooner or later,” she growled. “Unless you want to end up old, bitter, and alone… like me.”

She turned and walked back to her mount without another word. Fiora also turned and led her pegasus toward the deck, silently thankful that she’d been able to hold back her tears for that long as they began streaming down her face.

***

_“There!” Serra called triumphantly as she pulled her staff away from Florina's side. “Perfect! Now get back out there and show them what you're made of!”_

_“What she's made of,” a voice came from nearby, “is flesh and blood.” Matthew glared up at Serra from where he was reclining on the ground a few meters away. “And the enemy is getting to see far too much of that blood, in my opinion.”_

_“Hey!” Serra said indignantly, hands going to her hips. “I'll have you know that Florina is quite a capable fighter! Why, she...”_

_“I know that,” Matthew said, his eyes drifting shut. “It wasn't Florina's competence that I was questioning.”_

_“What do you...?” It took Serra a moment to get the insult. “HEY!” she shouted, much louder this time._

_Fiora helped her sister up as the cleric marched over to her companion's relaxed form, shouting a string of indignant insults at him. Matthew recoiled a little, but only because Serra was stamping the ground as she spoke, and her foot was dangerously close to his groin. Fiora couldn’t help but grin, as Florina let out a giggle. The elder pegasus knight felt a little surprised at her sister; normally, she was too shy around other people to find their antics funny. She supposed it was due to her growing friendship with the cleric. Florina was no more comfortable with Matthew than she was with most of the men, but Serra's admittedly hilarious antics were able to drive even her androphobia into temporary submission. The cleric didn't mean to be so funny, of course; in her own mind, she was every bit the fit, proper lady she described to others, usually moments before they mysteriously burst out with a fit of suspicious coughing and had to excuse themselves from her presence. Serra's incomprehension of her own hilarity only lent to it, and a good thing, too, or Florina wouldn't have felt comfortable enough to talk to her. But as it was, Serra was one of her best friends, something for which Fiora was quite grateful._

_Still, as the cleric finished with her admonishment of the Ostian spy, Fiora started to pull Florina up. While Serra did bring some much-needed levity to their situation, they could not forget how grave it was to begin with. “We should be going,” she said. “We may have secured the assassins, but there are still plenty of Black Fang troops running around the palace.”_

_“Well, if you must,” Serra sighed. “But do come see me again soon, will you, Flory?”_

_“You do realize you just asked them to get injured so you’d have to heal them again, right?” Matthew asked. “Also: Flory?”_

_Serra turned to glare at him again. The thief made a subtle but hasty move to cover his groin._

_“Shouldn’t you two be on your way as well?” Fiora asked. “There must be others in need of healing.”_

_Matthew shook his head. “Anyone in need of healing is supposed to come back here and find Serra, since it’d be dangerous to have her wandering through the halls herself. As much as I’d love a change of scenery, I-”_

_He suddenly cut himself off and sprang to his feet, hand on his blade. He darted over to the entrance to a nearby corridor, peering carefully around the corner. “Someone’s coming,” he whispered._

_Fiora couldn’t hear anything, but she had little choice but to trust the honed senses of a thief. She and Florina readied their lances as quietly as possible, while Serra drew a light magic tome from her robes. Soon enough, she could hear the footsteps of the person approaching, the light, quick stride of someone with a light weapon and little to no armor. A swordsman, probably, but one of theirs, or the Black Fang’s?_

_She got her answer in a moment when the footsteps stopped. “I can hear your breathing, Matthew,” the swordsman called. “It’s just me, so try not to hack me apart, all right?”_

_Matthew let out a sigh as he released his blade. “How can you possibly recognize my breathing when I’m holding my breath?”_

_“Practice.” The myrmidon stepped forward, close enough for the four of them to make out his figure. “How’s it going over here?”_

_“We’re all right, Guy,” Fiora replied. Florina drew back a little. “Serra was just giving us a little healing.”_

_“Well, if you don’t mind, can I borrow this unscrupulous coward for a minute?”_

_Matthew rolled his eyes. “I’m glad to see you too, Guy. What do you need?”_

_“We’ve found a few chests for you to open. We’ve cleared out most of the enemies between here and there, so it shouldn’t take too long for you to come get them, then get back here. And if we do run into anyone, we should be able to handle it.”_

_“Wait,” Fiora said, raising an arm. “This is the Bern palace. Can we just go opening chests as we please?”_

_“Of course we can! I have lockpicks!” Matthew sprang to his feet. “Lead the way, Guy! I was just saying how much I’d like a change of scenery.”_

_Fiora sighed. “I just don’t think the royal family would be too happy with us opening their chests.”_

_“The royal family doesn’t have to know,” Matthew said. Then, with a wink to Fiora, “And neither does a certain former knight of Bern.”_

_Fiora just glared at him._

_Matthew sighed. “All right, I’ll be serious. Look at it this way. We’re here to save Prince Zephiel, right? We need to make use of all the resources we can to do that. The family can consider this compensation for helping to save their son, and if they still take issue with it, we can sort it all out later.”_

_Fiora hesitated for a moment before letting out a sigh. “You’re right. We need to use everything at our disposal to complete our mission. Be careful, you two.”_

_“Hold on a moment!”_

_Everyone in the group turned, surprised; Serra’s voice was even more high-pitched than usual._

_“You can’t just leave me alone here, Matthew! Your orders are to protect me!”_

_“Didn’t you hear what Guy said? I’ll be back before you know it. Besides, you’ve got that book now, so shouldn’t you be able to take care of yourself?”_

_Serra opened her mouth, but closed it again, apparently unable to think of a good counter to that. Fiora looked at her face, and was surprised to find her expression was genuinely fearful. Matthew was right; there was little real danger, and Serra was more than able to defend herself now that she was learning to use light magic. Yet for some reason, Serra didn’t want to be away from him, even for that short time._

_Looking over at Matthew, Fiora was equally surprised at his expression—not one of fear, but rather… concern, perhaps? As much as Serra didn’t want to be alone, he seemed to fear leaving her alone. As much as the two bickered, and as much as he wanted to be away from her, something was preventing him from just leaving._

_“…Never mind,” the thief said at last. “Come along, and be sure not to make too much noise.”_

_He swiftly disappeared down the hall, Serra following soon after as she tried to hide her look of relief. Guy cast a surprised glance after them, then nodded at the two sisters and followed them himself._

_“We should be going, too,” Florina said._

_“…Of course,” Fiora said, moderately distracted._

_The two of them mounted their pegasi, and began making their way through the cramped castle halls. Florina glanced at her sister, still lost in thought. “Is everything all right?”_

_At first, Fiora didn’t want to say anything. They were in battle, after all, and something as trivial as that paled in comparison to the threat of the Black Fang. Yet the more she tried not to think about it, the more it gnawed at her. At last, she met her sister’s gaze. “Matthew and Serra… they care about each other, don’t they?”_

_Florina looked taken aback, but, after glancing around to make sure they were alone, smiled. “I think so, yes.”_

_“But the way he acts around her… he seems to despise her.”_

_“Maybe a part of him does. And maybe that part hates her now more than ever because another part of him is starting to fall for her.”_

_Fiora couldn’t help but smile a little. “She is a… a bit much, isn’t she?”_

_“She can be, yes,” Florina laughed. “I imagine that’s why he’s trying so hard to deny the fact that he’s attracted to her. He’s grown close enough to her to see past her faults, even if he doesn’t really want to.”_

_Fiora shook her head. This was silly; it was the sort of gossip Farina would engage in after a few too many drinks, not the sort of thing Fiora usually bothered with, especially not in the middle of a battle. Still, there was something that bothered her. “You’re probably right,” she said. “But I think there’s more to it than that.”_

_“What do you mean?”_

_Fiora was silent for a long time before responding. “Do you… do you think he’s forgotten about Leila?”_

_“Oh.” Florina evidently hadn’t thought of that, and wasn’t sure how to respond._

_“I don’t think he has.”_

_“No, probably not. And he shouldn’t. But that doesn’t mean he can’t move on, does it?”_

_“…I don’t know. I would think so. If you’ve loved and lost like that… how could you ever bring yourself to love again?”_

_Florina turned away. “I don’t know.”_

_The two rode in silence for a while._

_“…But…” Florina took a breath. “Well. You know how much Lucius and I love each other. Ever since we left Caelin, he’s taken care of me, and I do the same for him.”_

_While it felt odd to hear her sister speak so plainly of love, Fiora nodded. “I’ve seen you two together. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t.”_

_Florina chuckled a little. “I can’t imagine what life would be like without him… what I’d do if he died. But… I do know he wants me to be happy. And if he felt that I’d be happiest if I moved on and found someone else… that’s what he’d want me to do. That’s what he’d tell me to do, if he could.”_

_“How do you know?”_

_“Because that’s the kind of person he is. …That’s the kind of person I fell in love with.”_

_“…And would you want the same for him?”_

_“Well, if he hooked up with a priestess the day after I died, I’d be sure to come back and haunt him for all eternity,” Florina replied. “But once the pain passes… yes, I’d want him to be happy, too.”_

_“And how long would that take?”_

_“I don’t know.” Florina looked back over her shoulder. “I guess, for Matthew, it hasn’t been long enough.”_

_Fiora nodded, silently._

_Florina hesitated for a moment, then placed her arm on her sister’s shoulder. “Look… I know it wasn’t a lover, but… well, Matthew’s not the only one who’s lost someone on the Dread Isle.”_

_Fiora lowered her eyes. “I know. I…”_

_“Hey!”_

_They both sat up sharply at the shout; they’d gotten so involved in their conversation, they’d forgotten where they were. Hyperion was lumbering toward them through the halls, with Heath leaning on his back, clutching his shoulder. “I don’t suppose you two happened to see Serra on your way here, did you?”_

_Fiora took a closer look; Heath’s right pauldron was dented, and there was blood visible on his clothing underneath it. He’d taken a hit from a heavy weapon. “She’s busy,” Fiora said, quickly dismounting, “but I have an elixir. Hold on a moment.”_

_“I’ll ride ahead and help the others,” Florina said. She cast one last worried look at her sister before riding off._

_“Drink this,” Fiora said, handing him the elixir._

_“Much obliged,” Heath said, smiling at her before he took a swig of the potion. He grimaced at both the taste, and at the sensation of the healing concoction going to work on his damaged shoulder._

_After a few seconds, he looked up at her. “Are you all right?”_

_“Of course,” she said, a little surprised. “Why wouldn’t I be?”_

_“Well, it’s just that…” he looked down._

_She followed his gaze and, with a start, realized that she hand unknowingly placed her hand on his, and that it had been lingering there for some time now. She quickly drew away, instantly regretting it. His touch was… comforting. More so than she cared to admit._

_“We should get going,” she said, turning away before she could see his expression, not wanting to know whether he was glad or disappointed that she’d removed her hand. She mounted up, and glanced at him to see him struggling to turn Hyperion around in the confined space. Before long, the two of them were on their way back to the battle._

_Even as they rode, though, Fiora’s mind lingered on her sister’s words, both those spoken and those left silent._

_No, Matthew was not the only one who’d lost someone on the Dread Isle._

_Nor was he the only one having trouble accepting love._


	3. Chapter 3

_Heath couldn’t help but be a little awed. He’d just met the queen of Bern—his own queen—and returned the house’s royal seal, the Fire Emblem, to her. Not directly, of course; in fact, he’d gone out of his way to keep his face and features hidden from her. But he couldn’t help but steal a glance at her every now and then. Nobles had always bothered him, and yet those who possessed true nobility always left him feeling cowed by their presence, even though they usually didn’t mean to. It had been the same as when he met the countess Reglay, even if her demeanor was significantly sweeter than the queen’s. His neck hairs had bristled when the queen brushed off the news of the attempt on Zephiel’s life, but after Eliwood had condemned her behavior, she’d changed dramatically, and Heath could see why she was so admired and loved by the people of Bern. Her son, as well, had not an air of haughtiness and detachment, but one of earnest joy and a want to help his people. Heath had only laid eyes on the boy briefly, during the battle before dawn that day, after Fiora had helped with his injured arm. But it was enough to see that the boy would become a great man—and a great king._

_And just like that, it had ended. Queen Hellene had given them a map to the Shrine of Seals, and they’d been on their way. It had taken a while for the dazed feeling to wear off for Heath, but he didn’t have much of a choice once they were thrown into yet another battle on the steps on the shrine. The Black Fang was waiting for them, and came at them in force._

_“They’re attacking our point unit pretty heavily,” Hector mused, surveying the situation. “We may have advanced too quickly.”_

_“They may have made the same mistake,” Lyn pointed out. “If we fall back, we can draw them into the center of our force and take them out there.”_

_“Good plan,” Hector said, pausing to bring his ax to bear on an enemy. The swordsman swiftly dodged Hector’s blow, rolling to the side—and straight into the path of Lyn’s own sword._

_“Thanks,” Hector said, nodding at her. “Heath!”_

_The wyvern rider stepped forward, sheathing his own bloodied weapon now that the enemies had been dispatched. “My lord?”_

_“You’re the fastest rider we’ve got. Go to the advance unit and tell them to retreat for now. If we go little by little instead of charging in, we can draw the enemy in and take them out with the bulk of our forces.” He waved to Oswin and Wallace. “Let’s get moving. We’ll need strong-armored units on the front line.”_

_Heath turned to mount up, only to feel a hand on his arm. He turned to see Lyn looking at him. “Be careful,” she warned. “There are a lot of archers out there, and I saw at least one ballista.”_

_“Of course, milady,” Heath said. He hesitated, then added, “I wouldn’t worry, milady. Florina and her sisters are more than capable of handling things.”_

_“I know,” Lyn sighed. “But it’s been a while since they flew over the mountains to check on that village, and I…”_

_“I’ll keep my eyes out for them,” Heath promised._

_Lyn’s smile was all the acknowledgment he needed; he swiftly mounted up and flew toward the front lines._

_A few arrows whistled up at him and Hyperion as they soared over the battlefield, but most of them fell short, and Hyperion was more than able to evade the rest. The ballista posed a larger threat, but Heath remained focused on it, and directed his wyvern out of the way of oncoming bolts. Soon, they reached the first of several bridges around the battlefield, where the army’s riders were doing battle with heavily-armored foes. The knights were doing their best, but the bridge gave their horses little room to move, and the enemy’s armor turned away their lances with ease. Priscilla was tending to an injured Sain, as Lowen tried to find an opening to engage the enemy. Kent was at the forefront, swinging his blade as his horse did its best to keep away from the opposing lances. One particularly accurate thrust sent him reeling, and he pulled back to the end of the bridge, panting heavily and clutching his side._

_Heath landed next to him as Lowen took up the fight. “Kent!”_

_“Heath,” the knight panted, waving at him. “We can break through their lines if we can just—”_

_“Forget it,” the wyvern knight interrupted. “I have new orders from Hector. Fall back for now; if the enemy continues to advance like this, we can draw them in and attack them with our main force.”_

_Kent considered this briefly, then nodded, not wasting breath on argument or acknowledgment. “Fall back!” he called, waving his blade in the air. He turned and began to ride away, Sain, Lowen, and the other riders following quickly. The enemy, armored and unmounted as they were, couldn’t even hope to keep up._

_Heath took to the air again himself, flying at a steep angle to the knights’ path. He needed to keep one eye on the ballista, or he’d never be able to avoid its bolts._

_As if to drive the point home, one sailed towards him, missing the back of his head by mere inches. He swore to himself and was urging Hyperion to go faster when three moving objects in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Risking a glance, he spotted the three pegasus knights—the sisters, he reminded himself—heading north from the village they’d been sent to. Their movements were large and wild, evasive patterns meant to throw off the enemy archers—but then, why were they flying straight towards the ballista?_

_Frowning, he looked back at the ballistician, confirming that it would take a moment for the man to reload. Once he knew he was out of danger for a few seconds, he pulled hard on the reins; Hyperion, growling, banked hard in the air, and they quickly came about, flying back towards the sisters._

_Farina waved at him as he approached. “Heath! Care to join us?”_

_“What are you doing?” he called back. “There’s a ballista there!”_

_“Two, actually!” Farina replied, motioning to a small mountain. “The other one’s nestled in there.”_

_“We’re… we’re going to take them out!” Florina called._

_“You’re going to what?!” Heath blinked. “Isn’t that a little… dangerous?”_

_“Very!” Florina shouted back, both nervous and excited._

_“But not as dangerous as it would be to—” Farina cut herself off mid-sentence. “Incoming! Evasive action, everyone!”_

_Heath looked forward just in time to see a pair of bolts heading at them. The four fliers broke off in separate directions, and the bolts sailed harmlessly between them. As they regrouped, Heath surveyed the ballistae, which were now more clearly in view. There were indeed two of them, each manned by an archer, but they were also surrounded by swordsmen—three to the south, five more to the north, including one particularly nasty-looking one. Further north were a pair of axmen, and while Heath still had the axereaver he’d used against Eubans, he didn’t fancy their chances against them._

_“We shouldn’t be doing this,” he called to the others. “Hector’s having our main force retreat; we’re going to advance little by little to draw the enemy out. Plunging forward like this could ruin our chances.”_

_“If we take out the ballistae, it’ll make life easier for both us and the main force,” Farina argued back._

_“We can hang back and wait until they run out of ammunition.”_

_“During which time they could send a bolt right through Hector’s heart! I’m not letting that happen.” After a moment, she hastily added, “After all, he still hasn’t paid me in full!”_

_Heath looked up at the eldest sister, who until now had remained silent. “Fiora, what do you think?”_

_To his surprise, Fiora smiled happily at him. “I’ve got my sisters, Heath, and now we’ve got you, too. Between the four of us, there’s nothing we can’t do!”_

_“See? Even she’s on board!” Farina called._

_Heath shook his head; he wasn’t sure how Farina had sold her sisters on this crazy plan, but it was clear they intended to go ahead with it, with or without him. He might as well come along and do his best to keep them from getting killed._

_Another pair of bolts flew towards them, and once again they managed to evade, but it was much closer this time, one just barely missing Hyperion’s chest. They were rapidly closing now, though, and the ballisticians wouldn’t have time to reload before they were on top of them._

_“Let’s go!” Farina said, breaking her evasive pattern and charging straight forward. “Heath, keep the one on the left busy! The three of us will take out the one on the right!”_

_“Shouldn’t we split up? Two on each archer?” Heath asked._

_“It’ll go quicker this way,” Fiora replied, smiling at him. “Trust me. You won’t have to wait long.”_

_That smile. Damn that smile._

_“All right,” he sighed. “I trust you.” He pointed to Farina. “But I don’t trust you. We need to be in and out before the rest of their soldiers swarm us, got it?”_

_“Yes, dad,” Farina sighed dramatically. “All right, let’s do this!”_

_The sisters dove first, homing in on the hapless ballistician. Heath watched them out of the corner of his eye as he swooped towards the other. His target ducked underneath the rider’s lance, dropping the bolt he’d been preparing to load in the process. Heath made another pass, but action from the other ballista caught his eye. The sisters were circling the ballistician, making it difficult for him to pick and track one target. Then, with a cry from Farina giving the signal, they all struck at once, spiraling inwards and lashing out with all three lances. The archer never stood a chance._

_Heath was impressed, but not so much that he forgot his own target. The archer had given up on firing the ballista, and was nocking an arrow to his bow. It would take the ladies some time to regroup and reposition themselves for another strike; in the meantime, Heath needed to keep the archer from taking any of them down—preferably while staying in the air himself. He swooped down once again, and the archer was forced to take cover before he could loose an arrow. Heath didn’t waste any time in turning around, though; it wouldn’t take long for the enemy to recover and take aim again._

_As if to punctuate that thought, an arrow whizzed by Heath’s ear as he came about. He looked over to see the archer nocking another feathered messenger of death to his bow. The rider wouldn’t have time to swoop down on him again before he could fire, and flying straight into an oncoming arrow was foolhardy. Heath banked to the side, doing his best to evade. His eyes were turned from the archer, but he heard the twang of the bowstring, and then felt a sudden—but mild—pair in his side. The arrow had grazed him, finding a weak spot in his armor yet barely coming close enough to scratch his skin. He could feel blood seeping from the wound, but it was nothing major. He’d live._

_The archer nocked yet another arrow, taking aim more carefully this time as his target flew away from him. Just then, a flurry of white caught his eyes; he looked up to see the feathered wings of three pegasi beating in the air above him, and the glint of sunlight off of three readied lances. Before he had a chance to realize what was happening, Farina let out the cry again, and they struck._

_Heath watched with satisfaction as the second ballistician fell. He turned around, swooping low to the ground and quickly flying towards the sisters as they celebrated their victory. “All right,” he called, “let’s get—”_

_His words were lost as the wind rushed out of him. Something had slammed into him—hard—from behind. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the two axmen he’d spotted earlier running towards them, one pulling out another throwing ax to replace the one that had dented Heath’s armor. The rider banked hard to one side, realizing too late that it was the wrong move; he’d made himself an even bigger target. The axman drove this point home by tossing another weapon at him. Heath pulled on the reins hard, trying to maneuver Hyperion so the ax didn’t find a home in the wyvern’s exposed neck._

_He succeeded. But only because the ax found a home in him instead._

_Heath roared in pain as the ax fell from his shoulder to the ground beneath him. His arm—his dominant arm, at that—hung useless at his side. Hyperion, sensing his distress, turned and flew away from the attackers—straight into the arms of the enemy swordsmen waiting further south. Blades slashed at Heath from all angles, some making tiny cuts, others leaving more serious wounds. One or two found a home in Hyperion; a mighty roar shook the wyvern’s body as it sped its flight, finally rising in the air and putting some distance between its rider and the enemies on the ground._

_Heath felt himself growing dizzier as he struggled to stay upright in the saddle. He was losing a lot of blood through his various wounds. That minor cut from the arrow had been one thing; the gashes from the ax and swords were quite another. As his vision swam, he realized that he was looking at Fiora, her worried face blurring and darkening with the rest of his world as he felt his head growing lighter._

_“Heath!” she shouted. “Are you all right? Talk to me!”_

_“’m fine,” he muttered, barely able to speak. “Just a scratch… whole lot o’ scratches…”_

_“We’ll get you to the healers! Oh, Heath, I’m so sorry! We should have listened to you… I can’t believe we didn’t listen to you…”_

_“Yeah,” he muttered back. “Shoulda listened… let them waste their bolts on the knights… then take ‘em down when we’re ready…”_

_He looked back. More swordsmen had emerged from the fortresses to the north of where they’d been fighting, and were already advancing on the main force. They’d have a lot more to deal with now because of their foolhardy attack._

_“I’m so sorry,” Fiora said again. “Heath… I’m so sorry… I was just so happy to be fighting with Florina and Farina, I didn’t stop to think… Oh, Heath, please don’t die…”_

_“No promises,” Heath muttered, too soft for her to hear, as the dizziness overtook him. His head fell onto Hyperion’s scaly back as his consciousness fell away._

“How’re you doing?”

Heath couldn’t help but smile at the voice, and the smile only widened when he turned from Hyperion and saw the face it belonged to. She was beautiful. He’d tried to deny it for the longest time, tried to keep her charms from weakening his resolve out of a sense of professionalism. But the feelings had persisted, and so had she. There was no holding back now; he’d fallen for her, completely. If only he could find the courage to tell her that… but there’d be time for that later. For now, he contended himself with responding. “I’m fine,” he said. “And how are you?”

“All right,” she said, stretching. “Just thinking of going out for a flight.” She gestured to her mount.

“It’s a good day for one,” Heath replied. “I just got back from one myself.”

“Oh? Then I suppose you wouldn’t be interested in joining me?”

He was taken aback by her offer; it was far more forward than he might have expected. Part of him hoped she’d picked up on his feelings, but he knew it was unreasonable to expect her to do so when he’d gone out of his way to hide them. Nevertheless, it was too good an opportunity to refuse. “No… I mean, yes, of course I would be. Just let me go grab Hyperion.”

She smiled at him, and his world seemed to grow a little brighter when she did. “Ok. I’ll wait here.”

“I’m afraid zere vill be no vaiting for now,” a voice came from behind. “Ze commander has reqvested our presence in ze briefing room immediately.”

They both turned to face their comrade, a frown furrowing her soft features. “Now? What’s going on?”

“If I knew, I’d tell you, but ze commander was as eloqvent as ever vhen she told me to gazer you up. Ve’d better get going before she starts breaking sings.”

Heath let out a disappointed sigh; opportunity lost. “Thanks for letting us know,” he said.

“Heath.” The man nodded in his direction, then the woman’s. “Belminade.”

He walked off, arms crossed in front of him. Heath looked over at his companion, who was putting her hand to her single blonde braid distractedly. “Well,” he said, “We’d better get going.”

She smiled at him. “Don’t sound so disappointed, Heath. A leisurely flight is nice, but this is the first real action we’ll have seen in weeks.”

“I guess,” he sighed, finding it ironic that he was trying to hide his disappointment, yet hoping with all his power that she’d notice. “If it is real action.”

“Yeah,” she mused. “It has been awful quiet around here of late. Odd that something would happen now…” She lowered her hand from her hair. “But that doesn’t matter. Come on, let’s get going.”

Heath fell in behind Belminade, comforted by the familiarity of the action. The woman stood a good head shorter than he, but was his senior on the squad by several months. In fact, she’d been the first rider Vaida had selected when forming her Raiders, the heavily-accented Lachius following soon after. By the time Heath joined, the two of them were experienced in riding, fighting, and dealing with Vaida’s unique disposition. He’d known and been trained by Vaida since he was young, as had the others, but working in a unit under the harsh older woman’s command took a special set of skills. Lachius took little interest in the affairs of others, but Belminade had taken it upon herself to bring Heath up to speed and keep him out of trouble with the commander, something for which he was eternally grateful. That, along with her beauty, charm, kindness, and grace, was why he’d grown so enamored of her in their time as Raiders.

“Should we get Isaac?” he asked.

Belminade shook her head, her braid swinging back and forth hypnotically as she did so. “Vaida told Lachius to gather all of us, so he’ll get Isaac. We just need to concentrate on getting to the briefing room before Vaida bursts a blood vessel.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Heath said, increasing his stride.

Sure enough, Heath felt Vaida’s eyes burning into him as soon as he entered the room. He and Belminade took up their positions at the table quickly, sitting on either side of their youngest companion. Isaac smiled at both of his senior Raiders as they sat next to him, and Heath found himself smiling back. Isaac hadn’t been with them long, and he spoke very little, but he was a good fighter and had struck up the beginnings of a friendship with the rest of Vaida’s Raiders. Lachius was seated to Heath’s left, and acknowledged his fellow Raiders with a curt nod. None of them was brave enough to sit near the commander, even as they all gave her a salute.

Heath retained his smile as he looked forward; it had become something of a running gag within the group that he always smiled at Vaida, much to the commander’s chagrin. At first, it had merely been a way to keep himself from breaking under all the pressure she put on him when she was young. But in the intervening time, it had become more and more of a habit, and now he just automatically smiled whenever she was around. The commander had long since given up trying to stop him, and merely took in stride now.

Sure enough, she arched an eyebrow at his grinning face, but did not comment on it. She simply opened a map on the table in front of them. “Pay close attention,” she began, getting right to business. “This is the village of Dallen, a few leagues north of here. It’s one of our frontier settlements; about as far from the capital as you can get and still be Bern.”

Nobody said anything, although Heath couldn’t help but notice Isaac nodding at the sound of the village’s name.

“But, according to intelligence gathered by General Drimhull, they’re trying to change that. He reports that the villagers, and the farmers living in the surrounding area, are seeking to rebel. The intelligence is murky; we’re not sure how this started, or what they want, but that doesn’t matter now.” She looked around at them before going on. “Drimhull’s assembling a force. They march on Dallen tomorrow, and seek to crush the uprising.”

“What?!” Isaac blurted out. “No!”

Everyone turned to him in surprise. Vaida folded her arms, smirking. “Well, well. It does speak after all.”

Isaac lowered his eyes, his face reddening in a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

“Please go on, Isaac,” Vaida said, motioning to him. “Or was that little outburst just meant to waste our time?”

Isaac swallowed audibly. “It’s just… I’m from Dallen, ma’am.”

Vaida’s expression remained unchanged.

“I know what you’re thinkin’. The country boy don’t want nobody hurtin’ his home.” He took a breath. “And yeah, I reckon that’s true. But... Dallen? In an uprising? With respect, ma’am, it just ain’t possible.” He looked up, daring to meet his commander’s eyes. “Dallen’s folks are proud as anyone to be from Bern. Sure, we live on the frontier away from the capital, but the knights are always ready to protect us and the cities are always ready to buy our food. Why would they turn on the king? It don’t make no sense.”

The other three knights turned silently to Vaida, studying their commander’s face for her reaction. She remained quiet for a long time, looking directly into Isaac’s eyes. Finally, though, she gave a slow nod of her head. “That’s what I thought.”

Isaac blinked in surprise. “R-Really, ma’am?”

“I’ve been to Dallen before, boy. I can’t imagine those peasants taking up arms against the king, especially knowing one of their own rides among his knights.” She looked around at the others. “Drimhull’s army will take a few days to reach Dallen after they leave. Our wyverns can make it there in a fraction of the time, if we hurry. We can investigate the village, find out what’s really going on, and report back to the king, hopefully in time to prevent any unneeded bloodshed.”

Heath and Lachius exchanged a glance. “Is… is that wise?” Heath asked. “Going against General Drimhull like that?”

Vaida fixed him with a cautious stare. “We’re not ‘going against’ Drimhull. I told you the intelligence was murky. We’re just trying to clear things up before Bern commits to military action.”

“Does Drimhull _know_ we’re trying to clear things up?”

Her glare provided all the answer he needed.

“Vat about ze king?” Lachius asked. “Vere does ‘e stand on zis?”

“Drimhull… _misrepresented_ his level of confidence to the king,” Vaida said. “But His Majesty has nevertheless authorized scouts to go ahead and check out the village. We’re those scouts.” She glanced out the window. “It’s still early. Take a few hours, gather your things, and get ready to go. We’ll leave two hours before dark to ensure we get a good head start.” She glanced around. “Any other foolish questions?”

Nobody said anything, foolish or otherwise.

“Good,” she said. “Get going.”

Heath and Belminade left together, Isaac trailing behind them. Heath heard Vaida growl to the young Raider as they left. “Don’t even _think_ of thanking me for this,” she muttered.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, ma’am,” Isaac responded in a far-too-thankful voice.

“This is for Bern, not you. Can’t have our knights attacking villages based on faulty intelligence.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

If their conversation continued beyond that, Heath couldn’t hear any of it, as he and Belminade moved out of earshot. Belminade sighed, shaking her head. “It’s strange, isn’t it?”

“What?”

“The commander. She acts so cold and heartless all the time, but when you get close to her…”

“…you realize that she really _is_ cold and heartless.”

Belminade couldn’t help but laugh. “That she is. But she also cares about us, obviously.”

“I guess so,” he said. He looked around. “It’s too bad we’re leaving today, though. Not much time to prepare.”

“Oh, we have plenty of time. We won’t need that many supplies for the journey to Dallen.”

“I know. I was just…” he hesitated. “I was just looking forward to that flight, is all.”

“Well, in that case, we’d better get to it quickly.” She started toward the stables, motioning for Heath to follow. “Come on.”

He blinked in surprise. “Really?”

“Sure, why not?” She looked back at him, smiling. “It’ll be nice to just fly and chat for a bit. I’ll get Theia, you get Hyperion, and I’ll meet you back out here, ok?”

“Ok,” he said, smiling. “Thanks, Belminade. I’ll see you soon.” He took a breath. “Hey, um… there’s something I…”

But she was already out of hearing range. He briefly considered calling out to her, but knew he’d never be able to do it. Now was not the time. It was all right, though. Sooner or later he’d have to stop stalling and tell her the truth, but there’d be plenty of time for that after returning from this mission.

Smiling, he went to the stable to prepare Hyperion. Might as well enjoy the skies with her while he could.

_It was almost a reflex by now, seeking him out between battles just to sit and talk. She didn’t even think about it anymore; she just went to his side and struck up a conversation, about the previous battle, the coming hardships, their surroundings, the weather… whatever came to mind. When they’d first met, it had been a conscious choice to go talk to him, to make the newcomer who felt betrayed and alone feel welcome, but their friendship had grown into much more over the last few months. She spoke to him almost as easily as her own sisters. Almost as easily, for there were some things she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him._

_Although even with that caveat, speaking with him today took quite the effort. The last time she’d seen him, he’d been unconscious, having only awoken a few hours ago. She’d wanted to go see him as soon as he recovered, but given that his injuries were, at least in part, her fault, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Even now, she felt a great reluctance as she walked towards the tent where Priscilla was keeping watch over him. But the aching in her heart had eventually overcome her fear of what he might say; she just had to see him, even if he hated her for being so stupid. She couldn’t believe he would, honestly, but she wouldn’t blame him if he did, either. Still, one way or another, she needed to apologize, and needed to hear what he’d say in response._

_So it was that her dragging feet finally brought her to the healers’ tent. She was about to take a breath and pull back the flap when it opened in front of her. Priscilla gave a start at the sight of the pegasus knight. “Fiora! What brings you here?”_

_Before the startled pegasus knight could answer, the healer shook her head. “Oh, what am I saying? You’re here to see Heath, of course.”_

_Fiora blinked, mild anger rising within her. “What do you mean by that?”_

_“You’re his closest friend, of course. Or have I misjudged?” She lowered her eyes. “I’m sorry. The way you two are always spending time together, I just assumed…”_

_“No, it’s all right,” Fiora said quickly, the boiling sensation in her chest subsiding. “You’re right, of course. I was just thinking about that myself. I just thought you… meant something else.”_

_Priscilla gave a wan smile. “I think I understand,” she said. “Many would make the same assumption about myself and… Oh, what does that matter?” She stepped through the tent flap, and motioned for Fiora to enter. “I’m going to fetch some more water. Please keep an eye on him for me in the meantime, would you?”_

_“I will,” Fiora responded, smiling. “Thanks for taking care of him, by the way.”_

_“I don’t have much else to do while Eliwood and his party are looking for Durandal,” Priscilla replied, motioning to the cave the Pheraean lord had disappeared into some time ago. “Besides, Heath owes his life to you, really. If you hadn’t gotten him to us in time, the blood loss could have been fatal.”_

_Fiora lowered her eyes. “I know.”_

_“But you don’t need to worry; as long as he rests and stays hydrated, he should be fine.” She started off. “I’ll be back soon.”_

_Fiora nodded after the healer, took a moment to gather her nerves, and opened the flap._

_“Hey,” Heath said immediately upon seeing her, sitting up on his cot. She couldn’t believe he was smiling. It was that same sweet, disarming smile he always had when he was with her, too. There was nothing forced about it; it came to him as naturally as it did whenever she came to see him after a battle. It was odd that she was only now realizing how often she did just that, and how much she looked forward to seeing that smile. And—her heart strained at the thought—how much she’d miss it if anything were to happen to him._

_Tears began pushing against her eyes, and her knees began to shake imperceptibly. She wanted to open her mouth and let words spill out, telling him how sorry she was, how she couldn’t stand the thought of him dying, how she wanted to keep him by her side forever. But a lump had formed in her throat, and the words seeking to pour out from her heart couldn’t claw their way past it. Silence hung between them._

_She was relieved when he took it upon himself to break it. “How’s Florina.”_

_She blinked. “Florina?” she croaked. It seemed so incongruous, so out-of-place, to be talking about her sister now._

_He nodded. “I… heard about Ninian.”_

_“Oh.” Now it made sense. Ninian’s abduction had taken place while he was still unconscious. Neither of them were that close to the girl, but they both liked her well enough; Heath especially felt a connection with her, since she was the one who’d recruited him to their company. But Florina, in spite of her shyness, had instantly bonded with the young dancer, probably because they were both so quiet and reserved. Florina had made a few friends in the army; she got along well with Serra, and Nino had certainly taken to her quickly, but she could never be completely comfortable with their forceful personalities. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that, save perhaps Lyn and her sisters, Ninian was the closest friend she had there. Watching her give herself up to Nergal like that must have torn her apart inside._

_“She’s… well, she’s taking it as well as can be expected.” She glanced out the tent flap. “She’s with Lucius now. As much as I want to be with her, I think he’s in a better position to comfort her than I am now.” She hesitated before adding, “Plus, I wanted to see you. We haven’t talked since…”_

_“It’s all right,” he said, his voice soft and comforting. “You know I don’t blame you.”_

_She did know that. Somehow, she felt he could never bring himself to be truly angry with her, even when she’d made a mistake that nearly got him killed._

_“No,” she responded, shaking her head. “It’s not all right. Remember the desert?_

_“You mean when we first met Pent?”_

_She did not bother to correct him, even though she’d met Pent before then. “I berated you for being so foolish you left yourself open to attack. And now I’ve done the same, only you’re the one who suffered for it. I just…” She buried her head in her arms, leaning against his cot. “You almost died because of me, Heath. If anything had happened to you…”_

_“Nothing did,” he said softly. He was clearly trying to make his voice as comforting as possible. “You got me to Priscilla and Serra in time to save me.”_

_“You were only in danger because of me.”_

_“This is a war, Fiora. We’re always in danger.”_

_She was surprised to hear him say that. She shouldn’t have been, of course; he was absolutely right. They were soldiers; it was literally their job to fight, and the threat of death loomed constantly over them. Only the tactician’s strategic skills and a staggering amount of luck had kept them from experiencing more casualties than they had, especially given the relatively small size of their force. And now, with the loss of Ninian—even if they didn’t know whether or not Nergal had actually killed her—death seemed more present than ever._

_And yet, when she imagined Heath meeting such a fate, it felt like her heart was being rent in two. She would feel the loss of any one of their company, of course, but thinking about Heath’s death was as painful as imagining that of one of her sisters—perhaps, in a way, even more so. Death may be a fact of their lives, but for some reason, where Heath was concerned, it was a fact she was unwilling to face._

_‘For some reason.’ As if she didn’t know what that reason was._

_Heath felt it too, she knew; that same mix of loss and longing that haunted her every time they flew. The images of the simple graves burned clear in her mind, a helmet perched atop a simple wooden marker for each of three bodies buried somewhere below. Heath hadn’t been willing to tell her what it was at the time, but it wasn’t difficult to figure out why he was bringing flowers to an unmarked gravesite hidden in the Bern mountains._

_And with that image came another—bodies without a grave, for the lone survivor didn’t have the time, nor the strength, nor the courage to bury them. She’d left them there, blinded by rage and grief, hoping they’d eventually sink into the mud so that the shores of the Dread Isle could serve as their burial ground. Only later, after a chance encounter with a figure from her past gave her a reason to carry on, did she return; her sister and her newfound comrades had helped her with the task one knight could not handle alone, and a single makeshift headstone was all that marked the passing of a unit of Ilia’s finest pegasus knights._

_“Are you all right?”_

_His voice came to her as if from a great distance, pulling her out of her thoughts. She thought briefly about telling him what was on her mind, telling her the secret she, Florina, and just a few others shared, but the lump reformed in her throat before she could even open her mouth. She nodded instead. “I’m fine. Just… thinking, is all.” She cleared her throat. “You’re right, of course. But that doesn’t mean it’s all right to make foolish mistakes and put ourselves—or our comrades—in even greater danger.” She lifted her head, regaining her composure and looking him directly in the eye. “I’m sorry, Heath.”_

_“It’s all right,” he said once again. “Besides, it was Farina’s plan, right?”_

_“Yes, but I went along with it. I was so excited about being reunited with her and Florina, fighting beside both my sisters, I didn’t stop to realize how much danger we were putting ourselves, you, and the entire company in.” She leaned back. “I remember telling you that the four of us could do anything. I guess we found out how wrong I was.”_

_“It was a foolish idea,” Heath said. “Although, with more riders, it could have succeeded.”_

_“More riders,” Fiora echoed. She recalled a time when she flew alongside dozens of other pegasus knights regularly, serving as a knight of Ilia. Then, after the Dread Isle, it had just been her and Florina, and the skies felt bare as she soared through them. She’d been happy to have someone else to fly with, and even though Heath was the first wyvern knight she’d served beside, she’d soon grown accustomed to the bulk of Hyperion moving through the air beside her. Then, with Farina, she’d not only been able to reunite with her sister, they started to feel like a good-sized flying unit. And now…_

_She considered her words carefully. “We do have more riders, now,” she began. “I don’t know if you’d heard, but…”_

_Heath lowered his eyes, nodded. “Priscilla told me. Vaida’s joined us as well.”_

_Fiora let out a quiet sigh of relief. She knew Heath held mixed emotions about his former commander, and was glad she wasn’t the one to have to break the news to him. “Have you… seen her?”_

_“No, she hasn’t come by. Good thing, too; I don’t think I could survive a visit from Vaida right now.” He smiled, clearly hoping to lighten the mood._

_Fiora returned the smile, even if she didn’t find the joke all that funny, or appropriate. “Well, at any rate, she should be a useful ally. I’d much rather have her fighting for us than against us.”_

_“You sure about that? I think she’ll do more damage to us as an ally than as an enemy.”_

_That joke, Fiora did find a little funny. The laugh that escaped her was small, but Heath smiled even more broadly when he heard it. “I’m glad you’re starting to feel better,” he said. “I really don’t blame you for what happened, Fiora. And I don’t blame your sister, either, so don’t worry about that. It was just bad luck, is all.”_

_She still didn’t agree—even if Heath didn’t blame her, she doubted she could ever stop blaming herself—but she didn’t push the topic. She took a breath. “I’m just glad you’re ok. If anything had happened to you, I…” She trailed off, not able to find the proper words to express her feelings._

_Luckily, Heath saved her from having to. “I understand,” he said, softly. “I feel the same way about you.”_

_She shook her head. “Then we’re in the wrong line of work…”_

_“Maybe, after this is all over, we can find another one?”_

_She didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure how to. It was clear what he was trying to say, but she didn’t want to hear it. Not now, at least._

_He looked away. “Sorry,” he muttered. “I didn’t mean to-”_

_The rest of his thought was swallowed up by the chaos erupting around them. All through the camp, people started shouting, running, drawing weapons. In an instant, Fiora was at the tent flap, Heath following after as quickly as his weakened state would allow. When they looked out, it took Fiora a moment to realize exactly what she was seeing. She knew what it was, intuitively, but never having seen one in the flesh, it took a moment to register the massive object that had appeared in front of the cave, the colossal flapping wings and mighty roaring mouth, as a great white dragon._

_She was stunned into silence. Heath, too, seemed unable to do anything other than gawk at the majestic creature. Activity was all around them, though: Matthew, Guy, and Erk had been engaged in a simple, low-stakes gambling game, which now sat forgotten as they dashed toward the cave; Nino had been redoing an obliging Rebecca’s braids, but both girls now dove for tome and bow in preparation for battle; Dorcas nearly dragged Canas behind him as he moved toward the cave, the shaman doing his best to prepare his books as they ran._

_None of them had a chance to do anything, though. Before they could attack, a flash of red was visible near the bottom of the white dragon. Eliwood, Durandal in hand, moved like no human Fiora had ever seen. His blade cut through scale, flesh, and bone as easily as it cut through the air, and the blade roared to life with a fire matching the tone of its wielder’s hair. A mighty roar shook the area, and the dragon crumpled to the ground._

_Shock was replaced by still more shock as Fiora found herself rooted to the ground, barely aware of Heath leaning on her shoulder looking out at the same scene she was. But the third—although not final—shock of the moment snapped them both into action. A shining white rune appeared on the ground in front of Eliwood and the others, and rapidly rose, a black-cloaked form filling the space it vacated as it moved up. In an instant, their hated enemy stood before them, his smirk visible even from where they stood. Fiora didn’t even stop to think; she just ran, a lance somehow finding its way into her hands as she dashed towards Nergal._

_Behind her, she could hear Heath running after, although his rapid, shallow breathing betrayed his weakness. To her right, a white streak materialized at the corner of her vision, coalescing into a pegasus as it contacted the ground and depositing two figures—Lucius and Florina, she realized. Her sister was already armed, and Lucius prepared his tome as they joined the rush of warriors moving to meet Nergal._

_They never did meet him, though. They never got the chance. A simple gesture towards the dragon, a few snide words—Fiora couldn’t make out what he was saying, but the smug expression on his face, and the pained one on Eliwood’s, told her it couldn’t be anything good—and he was gone._

_Fiora cried out in anger, slamming her feet into the ground as she skidded to a stop. Heath came up alongside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Damn,” he muttered. “We finally got a chance at him…”_

_Florina hadn’t stopped, though. She was still running, even as Lucius scrambled to keep up with her. Fiora gave her sister an odd look, then followed her gaze, and let out a gasp._

_“What’s wrong?!” Heath asked quickly, but as soon as he too looked forward, he realized what it was. “Blessed Elimine, what’s going on?”_

_The dragon was… there was no other word for it: shrinking. Where it had once towered above the camp, it was now only as tall as three men, and was growing smaller by the moment. More disturbingly, however, was the way its skin crawled and shifted. Wings wrapped around and shriveled up until they resembled cloth; claws retracted as scales vanished into skin; and the long, toothy snout was crushed backwards, features sliding around until they came to resemble…_

_A human face._

_Fiora gasped again, this time not in surprise, but in outright horror. Heath’s grip tightened on her shoulder as he too realized what was happening. This was why Florina had kept running towards the dying dragon; she’d somehow intuited what it truly was. It must have been something about the way she acted, or perhaps something she’d said during her conversations with the closest friend she had in the army. In any case, when Florina saw her, she’d somehow realized who she was—but not in time to save her life._

_At last, the transformation was complete. Ninian lay on the ground in front of the cave, a ghastly red stain spreading rapidly over her white robes. She looked up to see Eliwood, the man she loved, cradling her body, as Florina, her best friend, fell to her knees at her side, and Nils, her brother, lay unconscious some ways away. This was the image in her eyes as she closed them for the last time._

_She spoke a few words Fiora had no chance of hearing, and died._

“An Etrurian noble,” Diane mused. “Now there’s something you don’t see every day.”

Martha let out a low whistle. “Look at this place. If his gold shines as bright as his house, I think we’re in good hands.”

“You’re telling me,” Sylvia replied. “Hey, commander, is it too late to drop out of the pegasus knights and just work for this guy?”

“You’d miss the skies after a week,” their leader admonished.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have archers trying to kill me all the time, either.”

“You’d miss that too.”

Sylvia laughed. “You’re probably right. Dame Fiora, sometimes I worry you know us better than we know ourselves.”

“That’s my job,” Fiora replied. “Now come on. Lord Pent’s expecting us.”

The four of them spurred their pegasi forward from where they’d been hovering, admiring the Count Reglay’s estate. Moving in formation, their mounts struck a beautiful image against the sky as they approached—at least, Fiora hoped they did. Even though she’d worked for Pent before, she wanted to impress their prospective employer. Despite the jovial mood among her comrades, it had been a while since they’d found a well-paying job, and Pent’s mission could help them alleviate some of their woes. She hated worrying so much about something like money, especially given her falling-out with Farina years before, but the truth was, it was vital to their lifestyles, and going so long without income was starting to take its toll on all of them. She was relatively lucky among her comrades; others had families to care for, whereas she had only herself. Both of her sisters had struck out on their own, Florina training to be a knight in her own right, whereas Farina was chasing a bounty who-knew-where, and Fiora doubted she’d ever meet a man worth starting a family with herself. With winter coming, those with dependents needed to be able to provide for them, and as Martha had said, Pent’s job could make that a lot easier.

They landed in front of the estate’s opulent gates; a detachment of guards was there to greet and open the gates for them. A pair of servants offered to stable their pegasi for them, but Fiora waved them away. “Pegasi can be rather particular,” she explained. “We’d best stable them ourselves.”

“I’ll let Lord Pent know you’ll be in to see him momentarily,” the servant replied.

“Why don’t you let me take yours?” Diane offered, smiling at her commander. “You can go meet with Pent right away.”

“Thanks,” Fiora said, “But I’d rather we went as a group. It’ll be better if he sees us all together.”

That, and she was worried about going alone.

She’d picked these three for a reason. The dark-haired Martha was a bit older and, in Fiora’s mind, wiser, having successfully balanced her duties as a knight with those as a mother for several years now. She accepted Fiora as commander despite the latter’s youth, but was nevertheless ready to offer advice when asked. Sylvia was about Fiora’s age, but where the lavender-haired knight felt pressured by duty and responsibility, her fiery-haired subordinate cared less for rules and more for the feelings of those around her. She had no desire for the burden of command, but Fiora was still thankful for her skills and made frequent use of them, often going through Sylvia to help her comrades with more personal problems she didn’t feel comfortable getting involved with as a commander.

Lastly, there was Diane. The newest and youngest member of the group, the always-cheerful blonde was mostly there for moral support. It hadn’t escaped Fiora’s notice how Diane always went out of her way to please her commander and fellow knights, and where some might have written it up to sycophancy, Fiora felt genuine affection for the girl, as did everyone else in their flight. She represented the unit as well as anyone, and Fiora felt her input would be valuable as well. Besides, Diane had begged to come along, and despite usually trying to remain stoic, the commander found she simply couldn’t say no.

Fiora had met Pent before, as had Sylvia. Their unit had done work with him in the past, and Fiora might even go as far to say she had a rapport with the eccentric noble and his beautiful wife. But his latest request for their services had been… unusual, at best. He’d provided very little information, preferring instead to meet and discuss things directly. Without knowing anything about what they were getting into, Fiora wanted her most trusted advisors with her for the meeting to ensure she didn’t make a foolhardy decision—one that could put her entire unit in danger.

“Well, let’s get to it,” Sylvia said, stretching. “After you, fearless leader.”

Fiora lead the way, Martha and Sylvia flanking her from behind, Diane bringing up the rear. The inside of Pent’s estate was just as impressive as the outside, the eldest and youngest among them continuing to marvel at it. Fiora and Sylvia were not as impressed, but only because they’d seen it before. They’d soon made their way to his receiving room—

“His study, actually,” the servant who was guiding them explained.

“Oh?” Diane said, sharing a surprised glance with Martha.

“Yes, I’m afraid he… he gets caught up in his work, you see, and loses track of time.” His voice took on an apologetic tone. “He means no disrespect, you see…”

“Nor is any taken,” Fiora responded. She wasn’t surprised; the last few times she’d met with Pent had been in the same room, and the servants had offered the same excuse.

When the servant opened the doors and she beheld Pent for the first time, she couldn’t help but smile. The man didn’t even look up at first, his nose was buried so deep in his book, but when he did, his smile was warm, welcoming, and—most importantly—genuine. “Ah, Dame Fiora. Dame Sylvia. It’s good to see you again.”

“You as well, my lord,” she said, bowing more out of respect than of obligation. “Thank you for meeting with us.”

“Not at all,” he said, setting down the book and turning to face them. “I apologize for keeping you waiting. I’m neck-deep in research at the moment, but it’s nothing that can’t wait. Shall we?”

He motioned to a set of seats, and Fiora and her companions gratefully took them. “This is Martha, and Diane,” she said, motioning to her other two companions.

“Nice to meet you,” Pent said, nodding to the two in turn.

Diane glanced around at the room, which was just as beautiful as the rest of the house, although much messier. “You have a lovely home,” she said, before hastily adding, “Begging your pardon, milord.”

“Not at all,” he said, looking up at the walls. “I’m glad you like it. Personally, I find it a bit… much. I inherited it from the last Count Reglay, you see, and while I certainly appreciate it, I can’t help but think some of the money that went into it could have gone to better use.”

Fiora smiled. She remembered how nervous she’d been when she first met the man, expecting him to be as haughty and dismissive towards her as most nobles. However, his easygoing nature and the casual atmosphere of their meeting had soon put her at ease; everything he did seemed to put them on a more equal ground, whether intentionally or not. Today was just like that day, and seeing Pent acting like his old self helped ease her worries somewhat. Although she wouldn’t completely relax until she knew exactly what they were up against.

She cleared her throat. “Milord,” she said, “As glad as I am to see you in good health, I’d like to know why you requested our services.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, leaning forward in his chair. “This mission is rather unusual, rather delicate, and, quite possibly, more than a little dangerous. I’ll tell you all I know, but there’s no way of knowing for sure what awaits you at your destination.”

Fiora sensed the other three exchanging glances; her own head, however, remained still. “What is that destination?” she asked.

Pent took a breath. “Valor. The Dread Isle.”

Every muscle in Fiora’s body tensed, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her companions do the same. Nevertheless, she motioned to Pent. “Go on.”

He told them all he knew, or at least all he was willing to admit to knowing; that there’d been unusual activity on the island of late, reports of people barely visible through the fog to sailors on passing ships. Since nobody ever went to the isle if they could help it, seeing so many shadowy figures in there in such a short time had attracted the attention of an associate of Pent (it did not escape Fiora’s notice that he carefully avoided telling them any details of this “associate,” but it was not her place to pry). Both the associate and Pent himself were looking into the matter, uncovering the involvement of a shadowy group of assassins called the Black Fang, but their research had hit a wall. They’d learned all they could on the mainland; it was time to investigate the isle directly.

“And that,” he said, “is where you come in. I need someone to scout out the Dread Isle, see firsthand what’s going on. I knew pegasus knights would be ideal for the situation, being highly mobile and able to cross the straight without a ship if necessary. You can get there, investigate the situation, and pull back quickly if you find yourselves in danger. So of course, I thought of you, Fiora.”

Fiora stood. “Allow me to consult my companions,” she replied, “and we’ll have an answer for you shortly.”

“Of course,” he said, motioning to the servant. “If you’d like, you can stay for dinner. Adam—my chef—can work miracles with venison.” He looked out the window. “Louise should be back by then, so perhaps she could join us, too.”

“Thank you, milord,” she said. “We’ll be back shortly.”

The servant guided them to the actual receiving room, currently empty, and a good place to deliberate in private. They took their seats quietly. Fiora looked to each of her companions. “Well?”

“I don’t like having so little information,” Martha spoke up. “For all we know, there could be an army waiting for us there.”

“Or it could be deserted,” Sylvia replied. “After all, few people ever set foot on the Dread Isle.”

“That’s because those who do never come back.”

“If you believe the rumors,” Fiora muttered.

“Even if we don’t, some of the others in the unit might. They won’t appreciate being dragged to such a dark place on such sketchy information.”

“They’ll appreciate Pent’s gold, though,” Sylvia pointed out.

Marth sighed. “I can’t deny that.”

Fiora looked to the youngest among them. “Diane, what do you think?”

The girl looked up at her, surprised. “I’m… not sure it’s my place to say, Dame Fiora.”

“You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t. I want to hear your opinion.”

She nodded. “All right. Well… I’ve heard the rumors about Valor myself, of course, but I never really gave much thought to them. After all, if nobody ever sets foot there, then who’s preventing those who do from coming back?”

“Maybe it’s a ‘what,’ not a ‘who,’” Martha pointed out.

“Like an animal? Begging your pardon, Dame Martha, but there’s no beast in the wild we can’t handle.”

Sylvia pursed her lips. “I like your enthusiasm, Diane, but that kind of overconfidence pulls a lot of pegasus knights from the sky to the grave.”

“Sorry,” Diane muttered, looking back at Fiora sheepishly. “Of course, whatever you decide, Dame Fiora, I’ll go along with. All the others will, too, I’m sure.”

Fiora believed it, giving the young girl an affectionate smile. “Here’s what I think,” she said. “Pent wouldn’t send us into a situation like this if he didn’t think we could handle it.”

“He doesn’t know that for sure, though,” Martha protested.

“Of course not, no. That’s why he needs us to investigate. And, if he’s willing to contract us to investigate for him, it’s for a good reason.”

“He does get caught up in his research sometimes, regardless of what it is,” Sylvia reminded her.

“That’s true, but when the Dread Isle and Black Fang are involved, I think he recognizes the gravity of the situation. And he wouldn’t send us there if it wasn’t for a good reason—and he wouldn’t send us in if he didn’t think we’d be coming back.”

“What makes you so sure?” Martha asked. “If he’s anything like the other nobles we’ve worked for, he doesn’t care a jot for what happens to us.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, he’s _not_ like the other nobles we’ve worked for,” Sylvia replied.

“That’s the impression I got, too,” Diane agreed.

Fiora nodded as well. “Pent doesn’t consider us pawns in his game, Martha. He’s hiring us because he trusts and respects us, and because he thinks we’re the best ones for the job.”

“Which we are,” Sylvia said.

Fiora ignored her. “I agree that I’d like a better idea of what’s in store for us, Martha. But we never know exactly what’s going to happen when we go on a mission, do we? And, considering how concerned Pent is with the matter—and how much he’s offered to pay us—I’d say it’s worth the risk.” She took a breath. “But I’m certainly not about to commit the entire unit to this job without hearing your input. So, your final thoughts?”

“I’m in,” Sylvia said. “I like Pent, and agree that he wouldn’t ask us to do this if he didn’t think we’d survive.”

Martha hesitated, then nodded. “All right. You two have met him before, so you have a better grasp of him than I do. And we do need the money; this job alone could keep my children fed through the winter. I’ll agree to take the job.”

Fiora turned to the last one. “Diane?”

“You know me, commander,” the girl said, smiling broadly. “I’ll do any job as long as I get to fly beside you.”

Fiora arched an eyebrow.

“All of you, that is,” Diane added.

“Then we’re agreed,” the commander said. “Let’s tell Pent.”

Although the decision had been made, she found herself still carefully considering the situation on their way back to the study. She shared Martha’s worries that they didn’t know enough about the situation, and remembered what Sylvia had said to Diane about overconfidence pulling riders from the sky to the grave. But the inverse was also true; Pent wouldn’t give them this mission if he didn’t think they could accomplish it, and they did need the money. This was another reason she’d brought the others along; her own cautious nature would make her deliberate endlessly over any possible decision without actually making one, too busy considering both sides to choose one or the other. With them here, she could actually bring herself to make a decision.

Half of her was satisfied with it. The other half just hoped they didn’t regret it later.

_“You know, Heath,” she muttered, “I miss them too.”_

_Heath blinked. “Sorry?”_

_“I’m no fool, Heath. After we split up in Bern, I knew I was likely to never meet any of you again. As far as I was concerned, you all died back there.”_

_“You’d give up on us so easily, commander?”_

_“Of course not. I trained you, after all; there shouldn’t be anything you couldn’t handle.” She took a breath. “I just… gave up any hope of ever seeing you again. You or that infuriating smile of yours.”_

_He lowered his eyes. “Sorry.”_

_Vaida studied him for a moment. “Although I suppose you don’t have much to smile about anyway these days, do you?”_

_“None of us do.”_

_“Tch,” she said, motioning across the field to the impressive edifice of Castle Ostia nearby. “We’re finally reunited after years apart, brought together by sheer chance in a new nation, and all you do is mope.”_

_“Sorry.”_

_“Oh, will you stop apologizing?”_

_“Sor—I mean, yes, commander.”_

_Vaida put her hand to her head. “Rrgh…”_

_Some distance from where the two sat talking, separated by a small hill, Florina’s pegasus touched down next to those of her sisters. Fiora and Farina exchanged an uneasy glance before the latter stepped forward, taking Huey’s reins as her sister dismounted. “Where’s Lucius?” she asked._

_“Back at the castle,” Florina replied. “Raven and Priscilla needed him for something.”_

_“Shouldn’t he be with you?”_

_“He’s been with me ever since…” She stopped, took a breath. “Since Ninian died. It’s time he took a break.”_

_“Florina…”_

_“No, really, it’s fine. I asked him to, so I could come talk to you two.” She smiled. “I know you two don’t feel comfortable around him.”_

_“We do,” Fiora said quickly. “We just…”_

_“We just have to fight the urge to yell at him to keep his paws off you,” Farina explained. “Sisterly instincts, you understand.”_

_“I know,” Florina said, still smiling. “I feel the same way whenever I see you talk to Hector.”_

_Farina rolled her eyes. “Oh, great. ‘Imply my sister has a crush on the lord.’ Hoping I’ll get all flustered so you can make fun of me, are you?”_

_Florina pouted. “Well… yes, actually.”_

_“Yeah, I’m wise to your tricks this time.”_

_“This time?” Fiora asked? “What happened last time?”_

_Florina grinned as Farina’s eyes widened. “Well,” the younger sister began, “The other day—”_

_The sound of bells suddenly cut through the quiet of the afternoon, a rapid, discordant series of tones. The three of them turned to Castle Ostia, where they’d been staying with the rest of the company. “An alarm?” Farina said. “What’s going on?”_

_A dark shape soon emerged from the castle, moving quickly across the field toward them. They recognized the colors of a rider of Ostia as it drew closer. “Come on,” Fiora said, moving towards their mounts. “Let’s go meet him and see what’s happening.”_

_On the other side of the hill, the alarm bells had also interrupted Heath and Vaida’s conversation. The blonde wyvern knight sprang to her feet immediately, her younger companion scrambling up after her. “Come on!” she called to him. “Let’s meet that rider and see what’s going on!”_

_“Yes, commander!”_

_She glanced at him, grinning. “Hmph. I don’t know if I told you this before, but… it’s been a while since I’ve heard anyone call me that.”_

_He stopped, blinked. “I guess it’s been a while since I’ve called anyone that, too.”_

_“Well, quit reminiscing and mount up! We’ve got work to do!”_

_Seconds later, two large dark bodies rose up from one side of the hill as three smaller white ones rose from the other. Vaida looked over at the pegasus knights in surprise. “Where did you come from?”_

_“We were just talking over there,” Farina replied, motioning behind them._

_“The time for talk has passed, girl!”_

_“I know,” the blue-haired knight said, annoyed. “That’s why we stopped.”_

_“Not soon enough!”_

_“We’re moving just as fast as you!”_

_“See how long that lasts!”_

_“Hey!” Fiora shouted. “Eyes forward! The rider’s almost here!”_

_Farina and Vaida cut off their bickering as the five fliers swooped low, landing on the field as the rider approached. He came to a stop a few feet away. “We’re under attack!” he shouted, panicked. “Castle Ostia has been invaded!”_

_“What?!” Farina yelled. “How?!”_

_“Nergal and his morphs can transport themselves with magic,” Vaida mused. “They must have teleported directly into the castle walls.”_

_“I’m riding to the Thena garrison to get reinforcements,” the rider said. “It’ll take some time, but once they arrive, they should be able to clear out the invaders.”_

_“We’ll help,” Farina said adamantly. “We’ll ride for the castle immediately.”_

_The rider shook his head. “The enemy force is composed mostly of archers. You’re probably better off staying out here.”_

_“Away from the action?” Vaida growled. “Not likely.”_

_“I’m with grumpy,” Farina agreed. “We have to do something.”_

_“Grumpy?!”_

_The rider sighed. “Get yourselves killed if you want. I need to go, or there may not be a Castle Ostia left to save.” He pulled on the reins and spurred his horse forward; soon, he was rapidly receding into the distance._

_“Well, what are we waiting for?” Farina said. “Let’s go!”_

_“No!” Fiora grabbed her sister’s arm. “Farina, if there are really that many archers in there, you’d be shot down before you could do anyone any good.”_

_“I don’t intend to just sit out here while they take Castle Ostia!”_

_“Nor do I,” Vaida said, crossing her arms. “But, as much as I hate to say it, your sister’s right. We need a plan—preferably one that doesn’t end in our deaths.”_

_Farina clenched her fists. “What do you suggest we do, then?”_

_Before anyone could reply, they heard an unusual—but familiar—noise. Turning to the castle, they saw a number of bright lights. After a moment, the lights faded, and in their place stood a number of dark-colored, heavily-armored soldiers, who began marching towards the castle the moment they appeared._

_Florina readied her lance “Nergal must have teleported in reinforcements!”_

_“Did he?” Vaida asked, her eyes lighting up. “All I see is prey.”_

_“Then let’s go hunting!” Farina shouted._

_This time, she got no argument. Five sets of wings began flapping, and five mounts rose into the air with their riders. Heath naturally fell in next to Vaida; glancing behind them, he saw the sisters weren’t far behind. It would have almost been a proper formation, although having pegasi flying alongside the much larger wyverns made their unit look rather lopsided._

_They didn’t have time to muse on the situation, though; their mounts’ mighty wings brought them to the invading knights in less than a minute. Vaida, both the eldest among them and the most accustomed to command, signaled the others. “You three, circle around their left flank! Heath and I will take the right! Use armorslayers or heavy lances if you have them; if not, punch through their armor with all your strength! Now GO!”_

_“Who put her in charge?” Farina muttered as she veered off to the left._

_“Well, we’re doing as she says,” Fiora replied, “So I think we just did.”_

_Sure enough, she and Florina followed their sister to the left as Heath and Vaida peeled off to the right. Without exchanging words, the two groups staggered themselves to avoid collisions, then swooped down. The enemy knights turned their heads just in time to see the incoming pincer attack before lances and armor clashed. Some knights were knocked to the ground; others who were unlucky enough to have a weapon find a weak spot in their armor were impaled outright. Between the three pegasi on their left and the two much larger wyverns on their right, the knights had no chance to escape. Soon, they lay unmoving on the ground, crushed between the two groups of fliers._

_“Hah!” Vaida cried, raising her lance in victory. “You’ll have to do better than that, Nergal!”_

_The noise rang again in their ears as a new set of bright lights burst into existence, fading to reveal a new group of knights, some wielding axes and wearing armor even heavier than that of their companions._

_“Looks like he heard you,” Farina said._

_“Pfah! If he thinks that’s enough to break through our lines, he’s sorely underestimated our strength!”_

_“There’s no time for another pincer maneuver,” Farina noted. “We’ll need to meet them head on. Defensive positions, everyone! Get ready!”_

_Vaida glared at her. “Does she think I’m going to take orders from her?” she growled to Heath._

_“Do you have a better plan?” the younger rider asked._

_“Well… no.”_

_“Then I suggest we follow hers.” He smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get another turn soon.”_

_Vaida gave him one of the most withering glares he’d ever seen. He couldn’t help but smile back; it was just like old times, as far as he was concerned._

_The knights charged them as fast as their bulky armor would allow. The fliers lowered their armor and charged back, hooves and claws thundering across the plains towards the attackers. Lances rang against armor as they collided, not every strike hitting home, but the sheer force of their charge knocked most of the morphs to the ground. One general swung his axe around towards Fiora’s turned back, only to find his legs swept out underneath him by Hyperion’s tail. A mighty thrust from Vaida’s lance pinned him to the ground before he could even begin to rise again. Another knight took aim at Heath’s head with a javelin, only for a spear thrown by Fiora to find a soft spot underneath his pauldron, rendering his throwing arm useless. Farina’s blade ended his pain a moment later._

_It was difficult to get creatures used to soaring through the air to fight effectively while keeping their feet on the ground, but Umbriel, Hyperion, and the three pegasi were all seasoned in all forms of combat by now. Gnashing teeth, whipping tails and tearing claws supplemented Heath and Vaida’s strikes, while the pegasi, though smaller and weaker, still used their hooves and wings to knock aside attackers, setting them up for their riders to finish them off. The close-quarters melee was chaotic and confusing, yet mounts and riders alike managed to keep the situation under control; lances invariably found a home in enemies while avoiding allies, and the strike of a mighty wyvern tail never connected with a pegasus’s hooves. In a few moments, the cacophony ended as the last morph fell, and the riders stood once again victorious._

_They were all breathing heavily by now, Vaida doubly so, although it was clear from her devilish grin that she was ready for more. She threw her head back and let out a roar. “Yes! Oh, how I’ve longed for this!”_

_To everyone’s surprise, Farina smiled too. “Feels good to be fighting with a full wing again. Feels even better to make Nergal pay.”_

_“We should get back in the air,” Florina advised. “He could send in more reinforcements at any second.”_

_“Let them come!” Vaida cried. “We’ll leave them as we left their predecessors! Their blood will stain the ground as ours roars in our ears!”_

_“Yeah!” Farina shouted, raising her fists to the sky in defiance. “You listening, you old creep?! Bring on the next wave! We can take anything you throw at us!”_

_Fiora frowned, but before she could say anything, Farina smiled at her. “It’s not overconfidence if you really are that strong, right, sis?”_

_The elder sister exchanged a worried glance with Heath. “I hope you’re right,” she said._

_They took to the air just as the noise rang through the field a third time. The lights shone and dissipated once more to reveal another, smaller party of knights. But another, larger group of lights flared up as well, this one fading to reveal a party of wyvern riders. The knights slowly began marching towards the castle, but the enemy riders took to the air and raced towards the group far more quickly._

_“He mocks us!” Vaida roared. “If he thinks those pale imitations can stand up to our lances, he’s sorely mistaken!”_

_“They are morphs,” Farina observed. “As imitations go, they’re about as pale as you can get.”_

_“Very funny,” Vaida growled. “Now shut up and attack!”_

_The five of them dove forward, lances raised. The enemy riders were headed straight towards them, a mid-air jousting match where losing meant a long fall to the ground. Everyone braced themselves as the enemy drew closer; this was the first time they’d faced another group of flyers as a unit. But, despite their best efforts, Heath and Fiora couldn’t help but feel a rush of excitement. Surrounded by their closest friends and family, they were sure they could meet the enemy riders._

_But, as it turned out, they didn’t have to. At the last moment, the incoming wyverns broke formation, splitting in all directions and avoiding their group entirely. They re-formed behind them, continuing on towards the castle._

_“Hey!” Farina shouted, looking over her shoulder. “Come back! We were supposed to fight!”_

_“Cowards!” Vaida roared. “Get back here and face us!”_

_“That’s not going to work!” Florina yelled at them. “They’re morphs! They’re here to carry out their mission, and that’s not us!” She pulled back on the reins, braking in mid-air. “They only care about the castle!”_

_“What?” Farina shook her head. “No way are they going to fly their wyverns in there.”_

_The morph riders tightened their formation, and dove through the gate into the halls of Castle Ostia._

_“Oh,” Farina muttered. “I guess they are.”_

_“We have to go after them!” Fiora yelled._

_“Damn right!” Vaida yelled. “Raiders, attack!”_

_Heath blinked. “…Raiders…?”_

_“Hold on a moment!” Farina shouted. “First of all, those knights are still marching on the castle. We need to take them out while we can. And second of all, no way are we calling ourselves the ‘Raiders.’ If anything, we’re the 41 st Ilian cavalry.”_

_“There are only 40 wings of the Ilian cavalry,” Florina pointed out._

_“39,” Fiora muttered._

_“Which is why we’re the 41 st!”_

_“Don’t argue with me, girl!” Vaida roared. “I’m in command here, and—”_

_“The heck you are!”_

_“Those wyverns pose the more immediate threat! Besides which, I’m not a pegasus knight, and I’m certainly not from Ilia!”_

_“For Elimine’s sake, both of you, shut up!”_

_Everyone turned in surprise. There was no waver in Florina’s voice, no sign of timidity in her stance or expression. She took a breath, and continued with uncharacteristic command in her voice. “There are fewer knights than before. We can split our forces and reunite later.” She motioned to Heath and Fiora. “You two have heavy lances; take care of the knights. The three of us will go after the riders.”_

_Everyone stared at her, unmoving._

_“What are you waiting for?!” she cried. “Let’s go!” She lifted her lance in the air. “First Lycian aerial cavalry, CHARGE!”_

_Without waiting for the others, she dove forward, chasing after the wyvern riders toward the castle gate. Vaida and Farina exchanged a glance, then burst out laughing, racing after Florina and shouting things like “Way to go, sis!” and “Lead on, girl!” after her._

_Fiora and Heath turned to the knights. “Florina’s right,” she said. “Let’s take care of them, and then rejoin the others.”_

_“Hey, um…” He bit his lip._

_She looked over at him. “What is it?_

_“Are you all right?”_

_She hesitated a moment. “Yeah. Just… remembering things.”_

_“…Me, too.”_

_A moment of silence._

_She smiled a little. “It is good to be flying alongside you and the others, though. It’s… helping. In a way.”_

_“Yeah,” he said. “It’s hard, but… having you and your sisters, and Vaida, it almost feels…” He trailed off._

_She turned away. “We have work to do.”_

_“Fiora, when this is over…”_

_“It won’t be over for a while yet, Heath.”_

_“But—”_

_“We can talk later.”_

_She didn’t wait for a response, diving towards the knights. Heath hung in the air for a moment before going after her. They did, indeed, have work to do. But, given everything that had happened…_

_They could talk later._

_“I hope that’s true,” he whispered._


	4. Chapter 4

But it had been days since that last battle, and “later” had never come. For the first time in a long time, Fiora hadn’t sought out Heath once the chaos died down and the army regrouped. It wasn’t intentional—at least, she told herself it wasn’t. There had been much to do, and the three sisters had been assigned separate errands from Heath and Vaida. Florina was somewhat miffed that the First Lycian Aerial Cavalry had been pulled apart almost immediately after she brought it together; Farina had just been happy to get some distance from Vaida. Fiora wasn’t sure how to feel. Knowing she hadn’t yet made good on her promise to talk to him left her feeling anxious… yet a little relieved.

She wasn’t blind to what was happening. She and Heath had become friends, good friends, after only a short time of knowing each other. And, while she’d honestly thought Heath was a little scruffy when they first met, she couldn’t deny that she’d grown to find him attractive—as he obviously had for her. But shadows of the past were cast over any light Heath brought into her life, shadows she could not do away with alone.

Perhaps it was time to stop trying to do it alone.

She knew what she had to do.

And, as luck would have it, as she was leading her pegasus out of the forecastle, the door swung open, and there he was.

It took her a moment to register what was happening, but it took him even longer; he’d ducked into the door and had his foot partway over the threshold when his eyes chanced to meet hers. He froze, leg hovering awkwardly, head still bent to avoid hitting it on the bulkhead.

For her own part, Fiora hadn’t budged since the door began to swing. She realized with horror that her mouth was hanging open; she forced it shut, then pursed her lips, and let it open again. “Hello.” It was weaker than she’d intended.

“Hello.” If she was nervous, he was clearly terrified; his voice cracked even more than her own. He did set his foot down, though, and straightened once he was fully inside the door.

“I haven’t been avoiding you,” she said after a brief pause. She immediately regretted it; the words sounded awkward, and perhaps even dishonest. Yet it was the truth—wasn’t it?—and she had to get it across.

“You haven’t?” He winced at his own words. “I mean… you haven’t. I know. We’ve both been so busy…”

She smiled faintly. “Gathering supplies, delivering messages…”

“Hasn’t left much time to talk.”

“No,” she agreed.

Silence hung in the air once more. She pushed herself. _What should I say? What can I say?_

“It looks like you’re going for a flight,” he surmised, glancing at the pegasus. He stepped to one side, motioning for her to move past him. “It’s foggy out there, but not too windy. Good flying, as long as you’re careful about where you’re going.” The corner of his mouth crooked upward, his eyes twinkling as well. “And have the presence of mind to bring along a coat.”

 _A coat._ She’d noticed his before, but never commented on it. He’d bought it shortly after the battle in the mountain fortress, when she’d admonished him for not bringing one. Ilian wool. From her homeland. She wondered if that was intentional. Then she wondered why she’d think something so silly.

“Come with me,” she blurted.

It took Heath a moment to realize what he was hearing; she could identify the exact second he did, because his eyes widened and his lips parted in surprise. “Are… are you sure?”

 _No._ “Yes.”

“I-I-I just got back from one, and Hyperion’s still tired…”

 _Making excuses. Just like I would._ She took a breath. “Then ride with me.”

His eyes and mouth widened even further. “What? Isn’t that… I mean, don’t pegasi only take female riders?”

“She’ll take you as long as I’m there, too.” She held out her hand. “Please, Heath? I promised we’d talk, and…” She swallowed back her fears. “And I’m worried we may not get another chance.”

The silence lasted for a long time this time. She could see the thoughts scurrying about behind his eyes, his worries conflicting with his desires, his reticence struggling in the face of her boldness. _Please,_ she begged silently. _I’ve found the strength to get this far; now find the strength to come the rest of the way with me._

At last, the conflict in his eyes died, leaving only resolution in its place. He took her hand without a word. They’d touched hands before—although rarely intentionally—but feeling both the firmness and tenderness of his grip sent waves of warmth up her arm.

She didn’t speak, either; she simply let her smile answer for her, before stepping forward and leading them back through the door, one hand clutching Heath’s, the other the reins of her pegasus.

“There’s only one place we can really go from here,” the wyvern rider said softly.

“I know.” She found herself fighting back tears. As happy as she was that Heath had agreed to come with her, the truly difficult part was yet to come. “But it’s just as well. There’s something I need to show you… something I need to tell you.”

She looked at him as she spoke, and saw the comprehension dawning on his face. He nodded solemnly.

They were on the deck now, the sun barely peeking above the horizon, but painting the mist beautiful colors as it rose. A few members of the crew were at work with various tasks, nodding politely to the two fliers, but otherwise going about their business. Fiora led her pegasus to the rail, then stepped into the stirrup and swung her leg over the saddle. Once she was secure, she offered her hand to Heath, who took it gently before swinging up behind her. As she’d promised, her pegasus didn’t object to carrying him once she was already saddled. She waited a moment, giving Heath a moment to get secure and the pegasus a moment to get used to the extra weight, before tugging on the reins and whistling a command. In an instant, they were in the air.

They passed the flight in silence. To Heath’s credit, he was a perfect gentleman the entire time; he maintained a tight enough grip to secure himself, but went no further than that, years of riding experience helping him find the right balance to keep both of them comfortable. Well, mostly comfortable. He did appear nervous, despite his experience, probably because pegasi differed so greatly from wyverns, and every once in a while she felt his hands tighten on her waist. She tried to be professional about it, but couldn’t help but feel some apprehension about being this close to a man. And a bit of a thrill at being this close to this particular man.

At last, they arrived. And at last, he understood the reason for the sadness in her eyes—sadness that was a perfect mirror of his own.

_We chartered a boat to take us near to the Dread Isle, and flew the rest of the way from there. Our pegasi could have taken the channel in a single flight, but making sure they weren’t tired when we arrived was worth the cost of passage. The ship was a little more reputable than Fargus’s vessel—it’s easier to find someone to take you close to Valor than straight to it—but no less rocky on the seas, to my chagrin. Still, I tamed my stomach long enough to hold a meeting with my closest confidants, discussing what to do when we arrived._

_“We can establish a beachhead here,” I said, pointing to a spot on the charts Pent had been able to provide. His knowledge of the island’s interior was limited to ancient documents, but he’d been able to get sailors to survey the parts closer to the shore. I rubbed at my eyes with my other hand; the murky light of the swinging lamps was barely enough for me to make out the markings, and somehow seemed to make my stomach even more sick. “There’s a low point here, protected from most of the island by forests. Once we’re there, anyone on the island already will have a hard time seeing us, and we can dispatch smaller units from that site to reconnoiter the island.”_

_“I like it,” Sylvia said, nodding. “One or two knights will have an easier time avoiding detection, but we can bring our full attack force to bear if we run into any real trouble.”_

_“We still have to get there unseen, though,” Martha pointed out._

_“That won’t be hard if the mist keeps up,” I said. “And if it doesn’t, we go in low, four at a time, two abreast and two deep, allowing two minutes between groups. That should get us through unnoticed, or at least give us enough warning if there are enemies to worry about.”_

_“I expect the mist will keep up, from what the sailors tell me,” Sylvia added. From the way she was twirling her hair around her finger and smiling slightly, it was clear they’d been only too happy to tell her whatever she wanted to hear. “It sounds like a fairly regular thing on Valor, especially in the morning.”_

_“The mist holds its own dangers, though.” We were all a little surprised to hear Diane speak for the first time since we’d began. “If there’s anyone out there, they won’t be able to see us, but we won’t be able to see them, either.”_

_Martha nodded her agreement. Sylvia pursed her lips, but didn’t argue._

_“That’s true, Diane,” I said. “But the mist affords us more protection than it costs us. After all, if we flew in after it lifted, we’d be perfectly visible, and anyone who wished to ambush us would only need to hide in the denser parts of the forest.”_

_Diane nodded. “You’re right, of course, commander. Just wanted to make sure we considered all our options.”_

_“Of course,” I said, repaying her nervous smile with a confident one of my own. “Don’t worry. We can handle whatever’s out there.”_

_I didn’t think I was being overconfident. I knew the dangers of our situation, given how little we knew about what we were flying into, and had every intention of being careful. But—Elimine help me—I believed those words. I believed that, whatever the danger, we’d be able to overcome it, the same way we had every other challenge we’d faced. Together, as a wing._

_I couldn’t have known. It wasn’t my fault. That’s what the others tell me. I doubt I’ll ever truly believe them._

_The mist indeed remained by the time we took off, as Sylvia’s admirers had suggested, so we all went as a group. I felt much better as the ship vanished into the fog, taking its constant rolling with it, but didn’t let my relief distract me. We kept low and didn’t speak among ourselves, the beating of wings more than enough noise for my liking. Still, it wasn’t far to the valley we’d chosen for our beachhead, and we were all on high alert. Diane was right, that while the mist hid us, it could just as easily have hidden unknown dangers; but I was confident in my knights, and in myself. We could handle whatever awaited us._

_That’s what I thought at the time, at least. I became less sure after the first volley of arrows slew ten of my comrades._

_Chaos reigned briefly. We hadn’t seen where the attack had come from; we’d barely heard the bows firing, the arrows racing through the mists at us. Some of my knights merely saw their comrades slump over in their saddles, not realizing why until seconds later. Others screamed as the arrows found homes in their mounts, and they plummeted uncontrollably downwards. The mists were stirred by a flurry of frantic wingbeats, and my unit struggled to regroup._

_But regroup they did. We were knights of Ilia, after all, and while we’d lost a great portion of our force, we were ready to repay it in kind._

_“To ground!” my roar carried through the mist. Our attackers couldn’t see us in the air, but judging by the number of arrows in that first volley, they didn’t have to; the beating of so many wings created enough sound and disturbed the mists enough that they could guess our general direction, and then they needed only shower us with enough projectiles that we couldn’t possibly dodge them all. Better to take the fight to them._

_Martha was next to me, looking around worriedly. “Shouldn’t we try to outrun them?” she asked._

_The thought had crossed my mind. But rushing ahead could just lead us into further danger, exposing our backs to our current attackers while leading us headlong into more hidden enemies. Besides, we couldn’t risk being lost in the fog._

_I didn’t tell Martha any of this. I didn’t have to. One look in my eyes was enough to quell her objections. “Yes, commander,” she said resolutely, and we dove._

_I kept my eyes and ears open, but the fog and the wind rushing past my ears ensured I didn’t gain a bead on our attackers. I did hear the second volley, though, and was pleased that it mostly went over our heads, arrows ripping up the air we’d been seconds before. I didn’t see the arrows well enough to figure where they’d come from, but Sylvia did. Within moments, she was at my side, motioning with her lance. “That way,” she said. “Let’s get them!”_

_I hesitated, but only for a moment. If we rushed them, we had a chance of taking them unawares and ending their threat before they could kill any more of us. But we didn’t know what we’d be rushing into. If they had infantry supporting the archers, we could be in for a prolonged fight. And while we could guess at the number of archers from the number of arrows—which was a large number already—we didn’t know if some were staying in reserve, waiting for us to appear before potentially wasting more arrows. But I’d already committed to attacking; we’d lost our chance to escape, especially now that we were at ground level. I’d already made my decision, and I was going to have to see it through._

_I nodded my agreement to Sylvia, and gave the order. “Form up! Squadron leaders on me! Charge!”_

_We leveled our lances in the direction she had indicated, and charged forward, urging as much speed from our mounts as we could. I was in the lead, Sylvia, Martha, and Diane immediately behind me._

_We were the first to see the archers. Which, unfortunately, meant we were the first to be seen. They were mounted, horses prepared to move as their riders sought their targets. And while I’d hoped to take them unawares, most of them kept resolute expressions on their faces, and loosed their volley with no sign of haste or surprise. I managed to avoid getting hit, by some miracle, but heard a cry of pain behind me. I forced myself not to look back; whichever of the three had been hit, I’d have to hope they were all right. I couldn’t afford to worry about them now._

_We slammed into their line. My lance found a home in one of the archers, and I could tell by the noise erupting behind me that several of the others had struck their targets as well. Many more archers remained, but at close quarters and with knights swooping down upon them, they had difficulty firing again. We had to be careful, though; in the time between striking down at one and swooping around for another pass, they had just enough time to nock a new arrow and draw a bead on one of us. We tore through their ranks quickly, but more of our number fell as we did so._

_We’d felled roughly half our enemies—and lost half our own ranks as well—when they turned and ran. Again, we had to pursue; we couldn’t risk them loosing another volley at us from the safety of the mist. I led the charge myself, hoping the others were behind me. I’d almost caught up to the rearmost rider when I saw what was looming in the mist. Too late, I realized my mistake. The risk of flying after opponents blindly in the mist was that they could lead us into an ambush. And that’s exactly what happened._

_A line of riders came charging into sight, their hoofbeats masked by those of the archers. They parted ranks just enough for their bow-wielding companions to slip between them, and leveled their lances at us as they approached. We suddenly found ourselves engaged in a many-pronged jousting match, and while the wings of our mounts gave us the maneuverability advantage, we were horribly outnumbered._

_That was not the worst part, though. Even as our ranks struck each other, as lance met armor in a hideous joining, as riders roared and steeds screamed, I had one eye to the archers. Every moment we spent fighting these knights was a moment they had to notch an arrow and pick a target. I struggled to get through, yet could not safely turn from the riders around me; my own comrades each had at least one adversary to worry about, none of them able to break through. A few who tried to fly over the enemies found themselves dodging desperately flung spears, delaying them just long enough for our enemy to ready another volley. I remember suddenly seeing Martha nearby, her lance stealing the breath from a rider trying to sneak up on me, and feeling relieved that she was all right. An instant later, I felt a stab of fear as I realized I couldn’t see Sylvia or Diane, and prayed to Elimine they were all right._

_An enemy cavalier tried to engage me, swinging a blade in a deadly arc toward my head. A quick command and a sharp tug on the reins got my mount to beat back in the air, the sword falling short of its target even as my lance met its own. The instant I yanked my weapon free of his body, however, I heard bow twang and arrow whistle. My heart stuck in my throat for that brief moment before the screams began. There were more screams even than before. The archers fired without compulsion, not caring whether they hit friends as long as they got their foes as well. And we, unable to escape from lance or arrow, were falling one after the other._

_It was too late. We’d failed, most of our unit slaughtered, and all we could do was hope for some of the survivors to escape before the massacre was complete. “Fall back!” I shouted, raising my voice above the din of battle. “We need to—”_

_Something fell on me. I was cut off mid-sentence as this great mass tumbled onto both me and my mount, knocking us both out of the sky. I was so shocked, it took me a moment to realize that it was another pegasus; shot down while trying to fly above us, it had slammed directly into us as it fell. And we fell with it. My saddle tore free under the strain, and I had just a moment to see my pegasus tumble into the fog before I struck down. The muddy earth cushioned my fall, but the weight of the slain pegasus slammed into me with just as much force as solid ground would have. I screamed as I felt bones crack. The white coat pinning me down was slowly turning red, and I couldn’t be sure if the blood was coming from the pegasus, or from me. My own mount was nowhere to be seen. I simply lay there, my screams fading to soft moans of pain, unable to lift the dead pegasus off me, unable to move out from underneath it._

_I strained to see what I could through the mist. Sounds of battle raged all around me, but my limited field of vision and the light-consuming fog prevented me from seeing any of it. The screams of women and pegasi told me it was not going well, however. Soon, I heard approaching wingbeats; the tromping of hooves touching down, followed by the thump of the rider dismounting; and footsteps racing towards me. Soon, I sensed someone standing over me, and twisted around as far as I could to see Diane, just as she knelt down beside me._

_“Help me,” I croaked. “Together, maybe we can move this.”_

_She hesitated for a moment. “Commander, the others… they…”_

_“They need our help!” Pain sharpened my tongue. “And the sooner we get this thing off me, the sooner we can give it to them!”_

_She nodded, though I was disappointed to see that my words had cowed rather than inspired her. Still, she braced herself, and pushed from above as I pushed from below. We gave it a mighty heave; however, no sooner did it start to shift than the pain in my ribs lanced through me afresh. I must have screamed, for Diane stopped pushing instantly. “What is it?!” she yelped._

_“Broken,” I gasped. I didn’t bother to specify what was broken; as far as I knew, there were too many things to list. I tried to move my arm, failed. “Elixir… in my belt pouch…”_

_“Commander?”_

_“I can’t reach my damned elixir!” I cried out. “I need to heal my wounds before we move this!”_

_She moved to go around the pegasus and get at my belt pouch, pinned beneath the beast. But she halted before she’d even left my vision. “Diane?” I called weakly. “What…”_

_She shook her head, eyes glistening. Her voice trembled when she spoke. “It’s over, commander. Sylvia and Martha… they’re gone. The rest of us will be wiped out in moments.” She looked down at me. “If they think you’re dead, they might leave you alone. I’ll try to lead them away before they realize you’re alive.”_

_“No!” I was surprised my lungs could produce a shout of such volume, but produce it they did, ribs be damned. “I’m not going to let you abandon me! I’m not going to abandon you!”_

_“You have to,” Diane said, her voice gaining an edge of resolve. “It’s the only way you might survive.” She vanished, and I panicked, thinking she’d gone already, leaving me there to bleed out, pinned under someone else’s mount. But I soon felt her hand squeezing in beside my leg, fumbling for my belt pouch, and finally tearing it away. She returned, digging the elixir out of the pouch—miraculously intact, in hindsight. “Drink this,” she said, pressing it into my hand, “but only when the coast is clear.”_

_I struggled to pull the elixir from her, to down it right then and there, to help her with whatever mad scheme she was going to pull. But she held fast, and soon I realized she wasn’t clinging to the bottle, but to my hand. I met her eyes, and saw for the first time the sadness in them—not just grief for her lost wing, but another level of regret entirely. “I’m sorry, commander,” she whispered. “I never got to tell you just how much you meant to me.”_

_I blinked. “Diane?”_

_She whipped her head around at a noise I couldn’t yet hear, cutting off any reply she might have given. The sounds of battle were slowly fading—the screams of my knights and their mounts growing less and less frequent. But as I watched her, confused, I realized there were shouts and hoofbeats approaching us. She stood quickly, looked down, hesitated, and saluted. “It’s been an honor, Commander Fiora.”_

_And she left._

_I opened my mouth to cry after her, but no breath came. Perhaps I saw the wisdom in what she’d said about playing dead; perhaps my lungs simply chose that moment to stop working. Either way, my last words to her died on my lips. I heard her leap into the saddle, and I felt the air stir as her mount took to the air. Moments later, the hoofbeats were upon me. I let my eyes shut, my limbs fall limp. I felt more than heard the riders passing around and over me as they rode after Diane, thundering hooves shaking the ground, sometimes seeming to barely miss crushing my head or arms. But soon it was past, and stillness took the mist._

_I drank the elixir as soon as I was sure it was safe. Even then, it took some time before its effects were complete; until then, I had to deal with the discomfort of cracked ribs healing, open wounds closing. I was still unable to lift the corpse off of me, but once my bones were healed, I could at least wriggle out from underneath it, even if it took some time to do so. In fact, once I was free, the sun had dispelled most of the mist. I could see._

_I could see all the death around me._

_I can only guess that our enemy had retreated after the battle, for there was no sign of them, save their own fallen warriors. Those corpses, however, were matched in number by our own. I knew I had to move quickly, in case the enemy returned, but I couldn’t help myself; I had to know._

_I checked every single one. Sure enough, as Diane had said, Martha and Sylvia had fallen. The young redhead was clutching her lance even in death; the elder knight clutched instead a locket, her weapon forgotten beside her. I didn’t have to open it to know what was inside. My stomach lurched as I realized I was going to have to tell her husband he no longer had a wife, her children they no longer had a mother. Then it seemed to drop away when I realized I was going to have to tell the same thing to so many others._

_For they were all there. I could have just counted the corpses and come to that conclusion, but I moved across the shore, from where I’d been pinned under the pegasus all the way back to where the first volley had hit us, and looked under every single helmet, checked every single face. All of them were dead. An entire unit of Ilia’s finest, gone—except for me. And, perhaps, one other._

_I held out hope in spite of everything. I’m not sure why. In hindsight, it was foolish. Of course she wouldn’t have survived. She’d led them away, sacrificed herself to save me. I think I knew that, in spite of telling myself she might be alive. But I found her. Arrows studded the ground around her, stretching a quarter mile back from where she’d fallen. She’d avoided so many for so long. But in the end, it had only taken one lucky shot to get through her armor and end it all._

_She was face-down. I hesitated, as if somehow not seeing her face would make her death something I could avoid. But I reached down and turned her over anyway. Diane’s eyes were closed, and her expression was somehow peaceful. I suppose she died secure in the knowledge that her death had purchased my life._

_And it had. All of them had. So many knights dead, while I lived on. The weight of the grief was overwhelming, the thoughts I had… I cannot describe them even now. Death was a reality of being a soldier, but losing everyone like that, so quickly… Anger and loathing swirled in my mind, directed at both our foes, and at myself. Why did I deserve to live? Had it not been my decisions that got everyone else killed—my choice to come under cover of fog, my choice to pursue the enemy instead of fleeing? Why did Martha have to die before her children could grow up? Why did Sylvia have to die before she could find the man she was always dreaming of? Why did Diane—_

_I’m sorry. Even after all this time, I still get… emotional. They were my comrades, my friends. And, in one brutal assault… they were gone._

“You know the rest,” she continued once the lump in her throat died down. “Fortune crossed my path with my sister’s. Florina was able to talk me down from my rage, and I was able to avenge the others without hatred clouding my mind. Yet the hatred I felt for myself… that, at least in part, still remains.”

Heath’s mouth opened to speak, but a gesture from her returned him to silence. “I know what you’re going to say. ‘It wasn’t your fault.’ Florina’s told me that ever since that day. Pent, too, once circumstances reunited me with him. That’s why I was so anxious to meet with him during the fight in the desert, you know; not just because he’d hired me to do so, but because reporting in meant the job was over… that, perhaps, I could move on.” She shook her head. “They all say the same thing. ‘It wasn’t your fault.’ Even I say it to myself, when doubt takes me. Perhaps, someday, I’ll even believe it.”

That was the end of her story. She didn’t signal as much, but it was clear by the way she let silence fill the air between them. She stood, her back to him, some distance away; he was seated on a fallen log about a quarter-mile back from the shoreline. The same mists that had shrouded the battlefield so long ago were there that morning as well, though they were beginning to retreat under the stern gaze of the sun.

After a while, Heath looked around at their surroundings, and cleared his throat, speaking for the first time since they’d landed. “When did you do…” he motioned around him. “All this?”

Fiora turned around at last. Not to face him, not directly; she simply took in the same area he was indicating. A large part of the earth had recently been disturbed, grass only just beginning to regrow over a large mound, a roughly circular shape some five yards in diameter. At the very center of the mound, a seven-pointed star, made of twigs tied together with twine, was itself lashed to the top of a large branch sticking out of the mound’s peak. The marker was far more elaborate than the ones Heath had left in the mountains some months before, but no less somber.

Fiora lowered her eyes. “After we defeated Uhai, and the riders that slaughtered my unit, I came back here alone. I had every intention of digging until my hands bled. Fortunately, Florina followed me, bringing with her Lady Lyndis, the knights of Caelin, and the sense I’d apparently left behind. We dug together, and they helped me make the marker.” She paused. “They deserve so much more… but this was all I could grant them.”

Heath quietly stood up, crossing over to her. He didn’t speak; he knew he was incapable of finding words that would comfort her. _After all, what words would have consoled me?_ He merely placed his hand on her shoulder. He was rewarded moments later by her own hand, reaching up across her body to rest on his. He saw the faintest trace of a smile form on her lips as their fingers intertwined.

They stayed like that for what felt like a long time. The chill of the morning faded away as the glow of the sun warmed them. Within a few minutes, the mists that had filled the air on their flight in had faded away.

At last, a deep sigh escaped her lungs, and she gave his hand a squeeze. “I’m all right,” she said softly, without turning to him. “Will you sit with me?”

They made their way to the log, taking their seats on either end of it, facing the grave and the shore beyond. Once, Heath would have worried about sitting too close to her; he’d feared making her uncomfortable, or seeming improper in the eyes of others. Now, though, he paid no heed to the distance between them. Any fool could see how close they were, and that it had nothing to do with where they sat.

Besides, he had more important things to think about than her physical proximity. Over time, it had become painfully obvious to anyone with eyes that Heath and Fiora’s friendship was on its way to blossoming into something more. It was evident in the way the one’s hand lingered on the other’s, the way the other’s smile made the one blush. But as much as they both could see where things were headed, neither had been able to bring themselves to actually take the first step in that direction. They both had secrets; they both had pain. As long as they hid their past tragedies from each other, they could never be happy together.

But now Fiora had taken that first step. Which meant it was now on him to take the second.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said at last. He kept his voice soft, but found it was also scratchy with disuse. He cleared his throat.

“You’re welcome,” she replied, “although I think you knew already, in a way.”

He looked at her, brow furrowed.

“You know what I mean.” She lowered her head, eyes shut. “I know you’ve seen it in my eyes, just as I’ve seen it in yours. Looking at you is like looking in a mirror; I see the same pain and guilt I hide in myself.” When she opened her eyes again, they were glistening. “If I’m being honest, that’s part of what drew me to you. What made me approach you, that first day, when you were trying to clean your bloody lance.”

Silence hung in the air, filling the space left by the dispersing mists. At last, Heath placed his hand on her knee. Her eyes opened at his touch. “You’re right,” he said softly. “I do know what you mean. I’ve seen it every time I’ve spoken to you since that first day.” He gave a gentle squeeze. “I hope you know how much it meant to me, the way you came to see me so often. You let me know that I wasn’t alone in my sorrow, even if neither of us was ready to share it.”

She was looking down at his hand now, eyes distant. He wondered briefly if he’d gone too fast, if this was too much contact for her at this vulnerable point. But she silenced his fears when she leaned against him, closing the already small distance between them and laying her head against his shoulder. His breath caught as she put her arm around his waist. Having her against him like this was surprisingly comfortable. It felt right; there was no other word for it.

“I knew we’d be flying together,” she said softly, “and that I’d have to get to know you if we were going to function as a unit. But I was afraid. The last time I’d flown with others, they all…”

She trailed off. Heath looked at her eyes, still far away, and realized she was watching Diane ride to her death, as she must have done hundreds of times since that day.

“Yet you found the courage to speak to me,” he prompted. “And to befriend me.”

“I did.” She smiled a little. “Believe it or not, it was Florina that convinced me. When I saw her again, I was astounded by how much she’d grown as a knight. Yet she still looked up to me, both as her senior, and as her sister.” A tremble entered her voice as she lowered her eyes. “The look on her face when she saw me torn apart by sorrow like that… I couldn’t bear it.” She looked up at him. “I couldn’t just make the guilt go away; I still feel it today, if not as keenly as I did then. But I promised her I wouldn’t let it consume me. Talking to you was my way of keeping that promise.”

Heath smiled at her.

She smiled back, but turned away as a blush reached her cheeks. “And, honestly seeing her with Lucius… it inspired me.” She shut her eyes, and shifted her head against his shoulder. “If she could overcome her fear of men enough to fall in love with one, surely I could overcome my own fear enough to at least talk to you.”

He looked down at her, silence reigning once more. His hand was still on her knee, his arm pinned between their bodies. Slowly, carefully, he withdrew it, and hooked his arm around her shoulders as her own was around his back. She gave a sigh—he hoped it was a contented one—and held him closer. He tightened his own grip as well.

“On that first day,” he recalled, “I told you it had been a trying time. Having you to talk to… I don’t think I can find the words to tell you how much it helped.” He shook his head. “After all that had happened, I was at what may have been my lowest point.”

She must have sensed what he was trying to do, for she straightened up. He keenly felt the absence of her head on his shoulder, but not for long; she placed her hand on his cheek, her gaze full of sympathy. “It’s all right, Heath,” she whispered. “Like I’ve said, I can see it in your eyes. You don’t have to tell me.”

 _Don’t I?_ Even if he didn’t, he was going to; that much was clear. “You’ve seen my grave, and I’ve seen yours. I’ve heard your story; it’s only right that you hear mine.”

A smirk crossed her face. “So you’re telling me out of a sense of obligation?”

“No,” he said quickly. Then he paused. “Well… perhaps. But not necessarily an obligation to you.”

Fiora blinked. “I see,” she said softly. She lowered her hand, folding it with the other in her lap, ready to listen.

For his part, Heath leaned forward, elbows on his thighs, fingers interlacing in front of him. He looked outward, contemplating the grave, the shore beyond, and the sun shining on the ocean’s waves. “Yes,” he said finally. “I owe this to myself. I owe it to them.”

_Our intervention at Dallen could hardly have turned out worse. Drimhull had sent an advance unit of wyvern knights Vaida was unaware of, and her Raiders arrived only in time to see Isaac’s friends and family chased and slaughtered like hunted animals. We rode to their aid, and though outnumbered, we were able to stop the massacre. But the rest of Drimhull’s force arrived shortly thereafter, and not only were we captured, not only were we named traitors, but the general had the gall to pin the slaughter of the villagers on us. I’d gone from a knight of Bern to a condemned traitor in a matter of days._

_That was when Vaida gave the order. That was when we ran. If we were considered turncoats, we may as well actually turn their coats, she’d reasoned; stop fighting for a Bern whose soldiers attacked its people, and start fighting for a Bern in whose service we’d once been proud to be named knights. None of us were keen on the idea of deserting, even less so when she announced she’d be staying behind to cover our escape. But we didn’t argue. We’d all been labeled traitors, so she was no longer technically our commander, but she’d earned our loyalty through her deeds more than her rank, and nobody entertained thoughts of disobeying her._

_Vaida was acquainted with one of the guards, having befriended—or, more likely, intimidated—him some time ago. When he saw she was imprisoned, he was quickly persuaded to “accidentally” leave a spare set of keys within reach of our cell. Once we were clear of the dungeon, Vaida split off from the rest of us. No ceremony, no good-byes; that was her way._

_In her place, Belminade stepped up to lead us. It made sense, of course; she was the senior member of the team. But I still was impressed at how quickly she made the decision, and at how well she took to command. Of course, everything about Belminade impressed me. She was quick-witted, kind, and as fierce in a fight as any—save, perhaps, Vaida herself. That, and I thought her the most beautiful woman I’d ever met._

_…up to that point, of course._

_She’d immediately laid out a course, explaining to us as we prepared our wyverns in the stable. We were heading for the border, for Lycia. We could make our homes there for a while, wait for our bounty to pass from the public’s attention, and plan our next move from there. The route she’d set for us wasn’t exactly a straight shot to the border, but it did keep us away from major cities and wyvern patrol routes. With any luck, we’d be in Araphen by that time the next day._

_“Might it not be viser to spit up, lieutenant?” Lachius asked as he affixed his saddle to Oceanus. “Ze patrols and bounty hunters vill be looking for four vyverns flying togezer. Zey vould not look as closely at a group of two.”_

_“Not as closely,” Belminade agreed, adjusting her reins. “But closely enough. Once word of our escape breaks, they’ll be looking for fugitive wyverns, and if they suspect anything, it won’t make a difference if there’s four of us or only one. I’d rather have everyone together.” She glanced over her shoulder at the rest of us. “Strength in numbers, and all that.”_

_Although, as you said, not always strength enough._

_Lachius still looked dubious. “It still seems—”_

_“Lachius?” She fixed him with a stern glare. “Do you know what the commander would do to you if you argued with her this much?”_

_He paused for a moment, then nodded. “Point vell taken, lieutenant.”_

_I couldn’t help but grin a little. Lachius was always stoic to a fault, betraying almost no emotion through that accent of his. In some ways, it was a good thing, despite how irritating it could be; his steadfast refusal to lose his head helped the rest of us to keep ours in desperate situations. Still, Vaida—or at least the threat of Vaida—was able to get to even him at times._

_I glanced over at the last member of our group, and my grin faded. Isaac saddled Rhea wordlessly, trying to keep his expression neutral, but failing to hide the rage and grief simmering beneath it. We’d stopped the attack on Dallen in time to save most of the villagers, but for someone who’d grown up there, “most” wasn’t enough. People he’d known all his life had been run down by his fellow knights; at the time, he’d been so consumed by anger, we were barely able to keep him from getting himself killed. Now, he claimed to have things under control, but all it took was one look in his eyes to see that pain was still with him, and probably would be for some time._

_Not that I could blame him, of course. We were all feeling the sting of the betrayals committed both against and by us. If, on top of all that, I’d lost my friends and family, I figured I’d be beyond comforting, too._

_Belminade had picked up on Isaac’s feelings as well, as I found out when she took me aside. We went to the far end of the stable while the other two continued working. “I want you to bring up the rear this time,” she told me quietly._

_I furrowed my brow at her. Usually, she and I rode two abreast behind Vaida, who always took point. Isaac and Lachius brought up the rear together. Obviously we couldn’t use the same formation with four that we had for five, but I didn’t understand why she was sending me all the way to the rear._

_“I need you to keep an eye on Isaac,” she explained, as if reading my mind. “He’s in mourning, perhaps even shock. I can’t trust him to bring up the rear on his own; he might try something stupid if he knows we aren’t watching. And I’m certainly not about to leave him at Lachius’s mercy. I don’t think that guy would know an emotion if it grew wings and bit him in the ass while he was flying.” She took a breath. “Which leaves you and me. And he doesn’t need a leader. He needs a friend.”_

_I was impressed, again. She’d quickly evaluated the situation, and decided on and implemented a solution immediately. What’s more, she’d trusted me—me!—with that implementation. I was the one she wanted watching over him, and that meant more to me than it probably should have. I smiled at her, wondering if she’d picked up on how my heart was fluttering. “Understood, lieutenant.”_

_She hesitated for a moment, then put her hand on my shoulder. “We’re not knights anymore, Heath. And we’re not just comrades, either; we’re friends. Please, call me Belminade.”_

_My smile vanished momentarily in surprise, but when it returned, it was twice as wide. “Understood… Belminade.”_

_My elation didn’t subtract from the direness of our situation, though. We needed to be far away by the time the other guards discovered our absence, which could happen at any moment. As soon as we’d gathered the bare minimum supplies we might need, we took to the air. The castle we’d called home for so long retreated into the distance, and before long, it faded from sight. I kept glancing over my shoulder at it as it disappeared. Belminade, I noticed, never looked back._

_Our flight passed without incident, at first. As Belminade had planned, we managed to bypass most population centers, only unable to avoid smaller towns where they wouldn’t be as aware of our situation, or as likely to set the patrols on us. And the settlements themselves became fewer and further between as we moved away from the capitol. Grassy plains gave way to rolling hills. Forests appeared as the elevation increased, then vanished once more as the ground climbed higher. As mountains rose up towards our sky, the terrain became rocky, barren, and unforgiving; I was thankful that Hyperion and his wings saved me the trouble of trying to cross it myself._

_We did have to worry about patrols, of course. We knew where the outposts were, and had what we hoped was up-to-date information of how many knights were stationed there and how often they went on patrol, but we had no way of knowing whether or not things had changed. Word had undoubtedly spread of our escape by now—a messenger riding directly to an outpost would have made much better time than our circuitous route allowed us—and any knights, even this far out, would be on the lookout for us. Whether we flew close to the ground or as high as our wyverns could manage, the odds of escaping another rider’s notice were poor at best. Our best bet was simply to avoid them altogether._

_We were unsuccessful._

_I was the first to see them. They weren’t directly behind us, but off quite a ways to our left. They were moving north, perpendicular to our path, several miles away at the time. And there were six of them; not much of an edge in numbers, but it might be enough. I signaled the others, and Belminade glanced behind. “Have they seen us?” she asked._

_No sooner did I look back then the dark shapes of the distant wyverns suddenly banked in the air, turning toward us and increasing their speed. “Blast,” I muttered, then raised my voice for all to hear. “Yes, they have.”_

_“Can ve still make it to ze border?” Lachius asked._

_Belminade shook her head. “Given the direction they’re coming from, they must be from the Rion outpost, which is less than an hour from here. Our wyverns have been flying all day. Maybe on a good day, we could have outrun them. This is not a good day.”_

_“Then we fight,” Isaac growled. He was already clutching his lance._

_Belminade frowned, but nodded her agreement. “We fight.”_

_We had scant minutes to prepare. There was a peak dead ahead, a nearly symmetric point among the surrounding mountains. Belminade directed Isaac and I to the south ridge, as she took Lachius to the north side. We would lie in wait close to the ground, and greet them with javelins when they appeared, pursuing them into the air after. I was a little upset to be away from Belminade, but again, I took comfort in the fact that she was trusting me with Isaac’s safety. It was little enough comfort. I hunkered down with Hyperion, trying not to think about the approaching riders, trying not to wonder if they were older knights I may have once fought alongside, or new recruits who couldn’t yet realize they were being led astray. I focused on the task at hand: defeat the enemy, and protect Isaac—from them, and from himself._

_Wingbeats alerted us to their approach. My arm tensed, clutching the javelin tightly. The instant the dark shapes of their wyverns appeared over the ridge, I stood, arm drawn back, and hurled it with all my might, the very moment the other Raiders did the same. As Belminade had predicted, they’d parted ranks, sending three riders around each side of the peak, hoping to catch us unawares between them. That meant two javelins for three targets. At the speed the patrollers were flying, we only had a moment to aim and throw our javelins; the tradeoff was that they wouldn’t have time to properly evade our attack. In the end, their luck held more than our own. I managed to wound the wyvern flying over me, but not kill it or its rider. Isaac had similar results. On the other side of the peak, though, we heard a wyvern roar, a human cry, and then a series of loud thumps and thuds. I smiled; one of the others had found their mark. I was willing to lay odds it was Belminade._

_There was no time to ask her, though. As the remaining five riders soared past us—two with injured wyverns, one nursing a fresh gash in his side—we spurred our own mounts into the air. We were already facing west, the direction they’d been flying, and within moments were in hot pursuit. Belminade was correct that, if we tried to run for it, our wyverns’ exhaustion would catch up to them, and we’d be caught. But luck was in our favor this time: our mounts were the stronger, our experience the greater, and for a short time, at least, we were able to close the distance between us._

_The patrol’s leader realized we were gaining on them, and signaled to his riders. The leftmost and rightmost knights split off, the other three remaining in the middle. My first instinct was to split up ourselves and go after the lone riders, but Belminade had other ideas. “Stay in formation!” she shouted._

_“Zey vill circle around behind us!” Lachius called._

_“I’m well aware. Heath, be ready.”_

_At those words, I reached to my back. I had a few more javelins strapped there, and any rider trying to come up behind me was going to have to deal with them. Occasional glances over my shoulder told me the enemy knights were making a wide circle on either side of me, and at last they formed up behind us. When the time was right, I sat up, twisted around, and hurled. I was rewarded with another cry, and one of the wyverns peeled away as his rider hung limply from his saddle. I didn’t let myself get too excited, though; I’d caught him by surprise, and wouldn’t be so lucky with the other one. I kept a wary eye on him, ready for his javelins, reaching for another of mine, planning my next attack._

_“Isaac, no!”_

_I heard the cry too late, turning only in time to see the tableau playing out before me. The other three riders had flipped in the air and were coming back toward us, their leader taking point. Belminade must have had some plan to meet them as I defended the rear, but Isaac didn’t wait for her orders. He’d rushed ahead, lance leveled, roaring with anger. I couldn’t see his eyes, but I could tell they were burning with fury. “You bastards!” he cried. “I’ll make you pay! I’ll make you all pay!”_

_Belminade and Lachius had sped up to try and catch him, but he’d rushed by them so quickly, so unexpectedly, they had no chance. He and the lead knight were engaged in a mid-air joust, lances leveled, mounts flying straight toward each other. I hoped against hope that Isaac had something up his sleeve, that he was going to break away at the last moment, leaving the knight at the mercy of the rest of us. But I knew he wasn’t thinking clearly enough for that. In the eyes of this rider, he saw every knight that had rained death upon that quiet village, and sought to repay it in kind._

_They slammed together, the horrific sound of torn metal mixing with the cries of the colliding mounts. The wyverns themselves fought for a moment, clawing at each other in midair before parting. Rhea was the clear victor, bearing only a few scratches while the other slowly descended to the ground, nursing a large gash. For the riders, however, there was no victor; each was carried away with a lance in his chest._

_Only three of them. But only three of us._

_A cry of grief erupted from my lungs. Lachius’s hand was over his mouth, his usually hard eyes wide with shock. Rhea took a moment to realize what had happened; when she did, she let out the most heart-wrenching roar I could imagine. Only Belminade did not react with surprise or horror; her face, when she turned it to me, was a mask of pure rage. “Stay on me, you two!” she shouted. “We’ve got to—”_

_She didn’t have time to finish. The other two riders had been tailing their leader, and at that instant, they were upon us. Our moment of shock provided an opening for them to attack before we could get our bearings; without direction, our wyverns took it upon themselves to dive underneath the attack, but the enemy was ready for that. They dove to meet us, and we were trapped. Lances and wings went everywhere, mounts struggling to stay in the air, riders struggling to stay mounted, all while trying to get a bead on their enemies. I found myself engaged with one of the riders, our wyverns hovering side-by-side as he repeatedly thrust his lance at me. It came too close for comfort a few times. But his attacks spoke of inexperience; he had difficulty maintaining his balance while lashing out at me. If I timed it correctly, I could turn that to my advantage. I clutched one of the javelins—not having the time or space to retrieve my lance—and at the exact moment he leaned to thrust at me, jabbed it forward. His strike went wide, and his momentum carried him into mine. His face contorted into a look of shock and pain, and I remembered why I’d been trying not to look at it. He was just a few years younger than I._

_I tore my eyes away and let him fall from his mount, javelin still in his chest. No time to regain my focus; the other two were still fighting Lachius and Belminade. He was locked in midair combat like I had been a moment ago, but she was being pursued by her adversary, twisting around the mountaintops in an attempt to get a bead on him. I rode to her aid immediately, circling around to meet them head-on. She rounded a mountain, and in an instant, saw me coming towards her and dove underneath me. Her opponent rounded a moment later, and didn’t have enough time to dodge; my lance impacted against his armor, and he was lifted clear of his saddle. He screamed all the way down, finally silenced by a sickening thud moments later._

_I didn’t linger on his death. Only one left. We were going to make it._

_I turned to Belminade, and my sense of victory faded. A red stain was growing across her back, centered on the broken-off tip of a javelin just beneath her ribs. She was clearly aware of the injury, clutching at her side, her shoulders moving up and down with labored breathing. I quickly rode to her side. “Hold on,” I said, reaching for my saddlebag. “I have a vulnerary—”_

_“No time,” she gasped. “Lachius…” She pointed as her voice failed her._

_He was engaged with the last rider, struggling at close quarters as their wyverns snapped and clawed at each other. The enemy mount had its claws in Oceanus’s wing, and the two of them were sinking together. The three good wings they had between them slowed their descent, but not by much._

_Belminade was already spurring Theia onward; I did the same for Hyperion. I rummaged around in my saddlebag and retrieved the vulnerary, but had no opportunity to give it to her. I kept it in my left hand along with the reins as my right gripped my lance. We were flying swiftly to Lachius’s aid, but I had no idea how we were actually going to help him. If Belminade had a plan, there was no time for her to share it with me, and all the while she was bleeding out…_

_With a cry, she dived straight toward the wyverns. Rather than raising her own lance, she whispered something to Theia, and the wyvern extended its claws forward like a bird of prey. Lachius and the enemy rider looked up just in time to see Theia descending upon them. She grabbed both wyverns by the neck, pushing down and outwards. Roaring, the enemy wyvern tugged violently on Oceanus’s wing until it claws ripped free. The mount roared with pain, but Theia released his neck, and he beat himself and Lachius both back to safety, nursing his injured wing._

_Theia was forced to release the enemy wyvern as well when its rider’s lance glanced off her scales, not seriously injuring her, but coming too close for comfort. Belminade pulled back, still holding her side, looking weaker by the second. The enemy put some distance between himself and us, now outnumbered three-to-one and having lost the advantage he had against Lachius when their wyverns were tangled together. He looked back at us fearfully, something glinting in his hand. I didn’t pay attention, though; I realized I had my opportunity, and came up alongside Belminade. “Here!” I tossed her the vulnerary as I shouted. “While we have a moment!”_

_She hesitated, keeping a wary eye on the enemy rider as he circled around, but nodded. “I’m sorry,” I called as she opened the bottle. “I took my eyes off Isaac, and he…”_

_“Don’t do that, Heath,” she replied, glowering. “There’s nothing you could have done to stop him.” She started applying the poultice to her wound._

_I opened my mouth to argue. I felt I’d violated her trust, let her down in the one thing she’d asked me specifically to do. But she was right; I couldn’t do that now. Not to myself, and not to her. What was I supposed to do? Grab him from his saddle? Tackle him in midair? Try to talk him down when he was already ignoring Belminade’s orders? There was nothing I could have done. And belaboring the point now would have distracted her from the task at hand—that being getting us out of there alive._

_“He might try to run.” Belminade’s voice brought me back to reality as she eyed the enemy rider. “It would be a waste of time to chase him, but we need to make ourselves scarce before he brings reinforcements. If he comes back, the three of us should be able to…”_

_Her brow furrowed, and when I looked at her eyes, they’d come unfocused. I reached out to her. “Belminade?”_

_“Sorry,” she said, quickly shaking her head. “I just got dizzy… must’ve lost more blood than I thought.” She glanced back at Lachius. “The two of you will have to deal with him if he”—she gasped—“Lachius! Heath, where did he go?!”_

_I looked over at our companion as well—or at least where he should have been—and my heart stopped. Oceanus was looking around frantically, his saddle empty. The straps had been cut, the leather jagged where it had been sawed through. I suddenly recalled the image of the rider with something glinting in his hand; that object resolved itself into a small, metal knife in my mind. Belminade must have realized what I did, for we looked down at the same moment, our faces both wearing the same look of horror. Far below us, Lachius’s body lay unmoving on the ground. He hadn’t even screamed on his way down._

_Silence hung between us for a moment, finally broken by a scream of unbridled rage. Hyperion and I drew back in shock as Belminade swung her lance around, gave Theia a sharp kick, and raced toward the final rider, the forgotten vulnerary falling to the ground. “I’ve lost my home!” she roared. “I’ve lost my commander! And now I’ve lost half my force!” She leveled her lance at him. “But I will make sure you join them, you coward!”_

_I spurred Hyperion forward, and we rushed after her. We were far too late to do anything, though. The rider fled before her wrath, tossing a few ineffectual javelins back at her, urging his wyvern to go as fast as it could. But Theia was pushing herself to her limit, and quickly overtook the younger wyvern. Belminade was upon him in a matter of moments, and he turned just in time to see her enraged eyes, snapping braid, and plunging lance, before he saw nothing more._

_And with that, it was over. We’d defeated six wyvern riders; even if they were relatively inexperienced, that was no mean feat. But we’d paid for it, losing both Lachius and Isaac, not just our wingmates, but our friends as well. In the silence after the battle, as we both hovered there catching our breaths, the grief started to set in. Belminade looked at me, eyes glistening. “Oh, Heath…” she gasped._

_I was fighting back tears as I reached for her, longing to hold her, to comfort her. “I’m so sorry,” I whispered. “I couldn’t protect them.”_

_“Neither could I.” She turned away from me, tears beginning to run down her cheeks, even as she squeezed her eyes shut. Her hand went to her side again; the wound must have still been bothering her, despite the vulnerary. “Heath… We need to land.” She gave Theia a gentle kick, and the wyvern began circling toward the ground._

_Hyperion and I followed. Rhea was behind us as well, still wailing mournfully, Isaac’s limp body still strapped to her back. The rage had faded from his face, but he didn’t look at peace. He just looked… dead. The wyverns set down near Lachius’s body. I tried not to look too closely at it, but I noted that his expression was the same as ever, stoic to the end._

_Belminade unstrapped herself from Theia, and promptly fell to the ground, landing heavily on her side. I gasped in horror, and fumbled with my own straps. Theia was nuzzling her rider with concern by the time I stumbled to the ground and dashed across the barren mountainside toward her. I slid to my knees next to her, and gently rolled her over so she was facing up, her head resting in my lap. “What’s wrong?” I asked, failing to keep the panic from my voice._

_“Not sure,” she groaned. “There’s a lot of… burning… and bleeding…”_

_I swore to myself. She’d only used a partial dose of the vulnerary, and it evidently hadn’t been enough. I thought briefly of looking for it, but even if I could have figured out where it had fallen, it would have been smashed against the rocks, useless. “Don’t talk,” I said. “There must be another vulnerary here somewhere.” I dashed back to Hyperion, and began rooting through his saddlebags._

_She reached for me. “Heath, wait… I think it’s too late for that…”_

_“I said don’t talk,” I replied. I threw the bag against the rocks in frustration. Was that really the only damn vulnerary I’d brought? I grabbed one of Theia’s bags and began going through that one instead._

_Theia was licking at Belminade’s wound, growling with concern. She reached up and patted the wyvern’s snout. “Heath, I’m so sorry,” she muttered, her voice growing weaker with time. “I tried to lead the Raiders, and instead, I got them all killed. I’ve let you all down…”_

_“Here we go!” I shouted triumphantly as I found a vulnerary at last. I sat down, pulled her head onto my lap, and immediately set out to rubbing the medicine into her wound. She gasped as I worked. “There, see? You’re going to be all right. It’s working already.”_

_She squeezed her eyes shut against the pain. “Heath… promise me you’ll be all right. As long as you live, the Raiders live. You have to carry on… fight for Bern… for the Bern we all loved, not the one that turned on us. They took everything from us… promise me you’ll take it back.”_

_“Of course I’ll be all right,” I said. “I’ll have you to take care of me.” I continued to rub in the poultice, even as she seemed to grow weaker in my arms. Why wasn’t it working? Was she right that it was too late? I refused to believe that, and applied another portion of the vulnerary._

_“Promise me,” she whispered again. Her eyes met mine, and I sensed the fear in them. “Promise me you’ll be all right.”_

_“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not going to be all right without you. I…” I swallowed. All my fears, all my reasons for not saying it, they all seemed inconsequential in that moment. It was time. “I love you, Belminade. I’ve loved you ever since we first flew together. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So you can’t die here, all right? We’ve got so much to do together. You can’t die here.”_

_No response. I stopped rubbing, shook her gently. “Belminade? Did you hear what I said?”_

_Still nothing. And I knew._

_I sat there for a long time, her head on my lap. Theia let out an agonized roar, and Rhea and Oceanus took it up, all mourning their fallen riders. I barely heard them, lost as I was in my own thoughts. I’d finally said it… and she’d been dead by the time I finished. I had no idea whether or not she’d even heard me before she passed. The future I’d imagined for us would remain imagined, for it could never come true._

_“I promise,” I finally said to the evening sky. “I’ll do whatever it takes to survive. For you. For all of you.”_

“I released Isaac from his straps, and buried the three of them together,” Heath explained. He was looking down at his hand, watching it tremble as he spoke. “I barely managed to scrounge together enough branches to make those markers. It might have been wiser to move on after burying them, since it was only a matter of time before the patrol’s absence was noted, and other riders came out looking for them. But I had to do something to mark their passing… to prove that they’d once meant something to somebody.”

He set his hand down, staring into the distance. “A few weeks later, a man approached me as I was drowning my sorrows in a tavern in Laus. He held a spear in one hand, and a wanted poster in the other.”

“Eubans,” Fiora breathed.

Heath nodded. "He didn't turn me in; said I could be more useful to him as a fighter than as a bounty. I signed up with his mercenary group at a reduced fee, and in return, he kept quiet about the bounty. He made it clear that would change if I didn't prove useful, though." He shifted atop the log. "I guess I was just thankful for work, at the time. Something to keep my mind off of all that had happened. I didn't start to think too hard about that work until a few weeks later, when the marquess of Laus hired us for some… questionable tasks. And then, even after the marquess disappeared, Eubans hoped to gain the favor of the men he'd been working with, the Black Fang, by attacking a group of the Fang's enemies that had holed up in a fortress after a young man in their company collapsed."

"And that's when we met," she finished.

"Yes," he said softly. His other hand had somehow found its way into hers. "That's when things finally started to go right for me again."

She smiled, but not as happily as either one of them would have liked. Their secret tragedies were no longer secret, but that made them no less tragic. Nevertheless, she squeezed his hand. "For me as well."

He returned her smile, but his eyes weren't focused on her. "I have so many regrets about all of it," he said. "I truly believe deserting was the right decision, even though the knowledge that I betrayed my home gnaws at me every day. But what have I accomplished since then? I barely kept myself alive, worked for a man who abandoned his morals for a healthy fee, and only recently managed to hook up with a group trying to do some good—and not even the good I set out to do. Belminade asked me to make her a promise with her dying breath, and I couldn't keep it."

“We rescued Zephiel, though,” Fiora reminded him. “That must count for something.”

Heath was silent for a while, then nodded. “It does. I hope they were watching.”

She gave his hand another squeeze.

“For a while, though, that wasn’t what bothered me,” Heath went on. “It was that… well, that I hadn’t told Belminade how I felt before she died. I’d always taken it for granted that I’d see her again the next day, that I’d have time to tell her later… and then, suddenly, I didn’t.”

She opened her mouth, hesitated, and spoke carefully. “You told me once that you loved her, but you never said whether or not you were… _in_ love with her.”

He was quiet for longer than she was comfortable with. At last, he shrugged. “It’s hard to say, now. Perhaps I was. Perhaps it was simply a childish crush I hadn’t quite outgrown. Maybe, if she’d lived, I’d have gotten over her and we’d have gone our separate ways.” He took a breath, let it out in a sigh. “Still, it felt real enough at the time. And the idea that I never got around to telling her how I feel tore me apart. The pain has faded since then, but…” He looked over at her, eyes glistening. “I don’t ever want to make that mistake again.”

She looked down, hesitating a long time before answering softly. “You haven’t, Heath.”

A moment passed before a small smile crossed his face. “Good.”

Silence hung in the air between them for a long time. Fiora released his hand, slipping her own back to her lap. “The others all seem to think we should be together.”

Heath smiled. “I’d noticed.”

“Under different circumstances, I’d agree.” She leaned back on the log, lifting her left knee and tucking her hands around it as she studied the waves. The sun was getting higher every minute, and its light danced off the water beautifully. “But we’re not ready,” she finished at last.

“When will we be ready?”

“When you can look at me without seeing Belminade,” she responded. “And when I can look at you without seeing Diane.”

Heath couldn’t argue with that.

“What was it you said while we were outside Roland’s cave? ‘We’re always in danger.’ Death is a reality of our profession.”

Heath nodded. “But not a reality we’re ready to face.”

“Not with each other, no.”

“Tell me, do you worry about Florina and Farina as much as me?”

She nodded. “Of course. Just as you do for Vaida. But it’s not their smiles I look forward to seeing every day.”

He was taken aback, a blush reaching his cheeks.

She shut her eyes. “I’m sorry, Heath. The loss of my wing has left me… broken. You deserve better than that.”

He leaned forward, resolve returning to his eyes. “First of all, you know now that I’m just as broken as you.” He took her hand once more. “And better than you? I don’t believe that for a second. Fiora, you’re wonderful. You’re kind and caring; strong-willed, yet sympathetic. And…” he hesitated before going on. “…and I can say with certainty that _you_ are the most beautiful woman I’ve met, and that what I feel for you is no childish crush.”

It took Fiora a moment to realize she was blushing. Hearing him finally say those words aloud, rather than hiding his thoughts behind distant eyes and a sad smile, gave her a sensation quite unlike any she’d felt before. She’d had shades of it before, in the times when their hands had touched or when he’d smiled at her longer than usual, but the pleasant warmth in her heart was stronger than ever when he called her ‘wonderful.’ Was this what they’d been missing out on all this time?

Was this what she would lose if Heath died?

“What do we do?” he asked at last, bringing her back to the present.

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I want to be happy with you… but I don’t want to say I love you, just to watch you fall in battle today.”

“Isn’t that better than never saying it at all?”

Was it? After all, she hadn’t been in love with Diane—although she still wondered about the young knight’s last words to her—and that still pained her. As did Sylvia, and Martha, and every single other knight she’d lost that day. Still…

“You haven’t said it, either,” she pointed out.

“No.” He paused. “I… don’t want to pressure you.”

“I appreciate that.”

“But…” He straightened up a bit. “Sometimes, it's a good idea to let the past go. Wipe your slate clean, so to speak.”

It took her a moment to remember where she’d heard that before. She smiled. “Are you saying it’s time I took my own advice?”

“I can’t tell you what to do,” he said, shaking his head. “But denying our feelings doesn’t change them.”

“No,” she heard herself say softly. “Whether I say it or not… I’d mourn you either way.”

The sun was well into the sky by now. They’d need to return soon. The specter of the final battle was hanging over them, but neither was about to turn away from it, even at the risk of losing what they’d built together.

She stood up. Heath followed suit, studying her face. “Well?” he asked.

“We go back,” she said. “Join the others. Fight the battle.” She turned to him, facing him fully at last. “If you die today, Heath, die knowing that I respect and admire you more than anyone I’ve met. That you’re my best friend, and that…” She blinked back tears. “…that I’ll miss you horribly.”

He nodded, his own eyes glistening just as much as hers. “Then you must know that I feel the exact same way, Fiora. Even if you die today, and this is all the time we get together, please die knowing that each moment of it was a blessing for which I’ll be eternally thankful.”

She nodded. “I will.” She took a breath. “And… if we don’t die today…”

Their hands had once again found their way into each other. He looked down at her, waiting for her continuation.

“Come find me tomorrow,” she finished.

“And then?”

“And then we’ll see.”

A breeze picked up, rustling the grass, sending the sand drifting, and sweeping Fiora’s light-colored hair behind her as she and Heath looked into each other’s eyes, then leaned forward into an embrace, the sunlit water silhouetting their forms.


End file.
